


Outside Interference

by NazdurukBugzappa



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, モンスター娘のいる日常 | Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou, 小林さんちのメイドラゴン | Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon | Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2020-02-27
Packaged: 2020-02-29 20:26:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 35
Words: 72,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18785593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NazdurukBugzappa/pseuds/NazdurukBugzappa
Summary: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart thought he only had to deal with investigating possible off-world attacks, and the occasional terrorist plot, when he finds out his world-view is even narrower than the Doctor accuses it of being.





	1. Chapter 1

Outside Interference

Chapter 1

**Muggle Britain, 1979**

Captain Yates descended the stairs, and headed towards the archive rooms. He shivered slightly, as he walked. They liked to keep the temperature on the cooler side, probably to help preserve the paperwork. He checked the offices on the right, to find they were empty, so he checked the opposite office. It looked like it had been converted into a bunk-room. _Makes sense,_ he thought. _If some of us have to do some overnight research, there's somewhere to kip for a few minutes._

He opened the main archive's double doors, to see the main desk was empty. _Maybe Gwen is further in,_ he thought, and stepped inside. Sitting at another desk was the pretty young redhead he had spotted in the mess hall. She had one earpiece to a set of headphones cupped to her ear, with her left hand, and was writing down some notes with her other hand. “I see they stuck you with transcription duty, miss,” he commented.

“I've managed to put a dent in the backlog,” she replied, pointing to several 'standard' archive boxes beside her chair. “You might want to assign a couple of guys from signals to check your VLF bandwidths.” She handed him a notebook. “Someone else is using similar frequencies, and it has been causing the interference that was in the recordings I've listed here.”

“I'll have someone look into it,” said Yates. “Is Miss Waters in?”

“Gwen doesn't usually clock in until 08:15,” she replied.

“It's 08:30,” commented Yates, just as the door opened behind him. 

“Good morning Captain Yates,” greeted Miss Waters. “Mizuchi, were you up all night again?”

“...no...” came the guilty reply.

Miss Waters placed her hand on Mizuchi's shoulder. “Have a shower before the boys get back from PT.” She lowered her voice. “Spread your wings a bit, before everyone clocks in for the day.” Her voice returned to normal. “Get yourself something to eat. You're only seventeen. That's too young to substitute food and sleep for coffee.”

“Gwen,” Yates interrupted. “The Brigadier wants to see you in his office.”

“Let him know I'll be right up,” she replied.

===//===

Sergeant Benton was on 'Doctor Duty' again. It was his job to make sure their Chief Scientific Advisor ate regularly, as he had a tendency to get distracted with whatever his latest experiment happened to be. Luckily, this time around at least, Benton was able to convince him to come to the mess hall. As they walked in the door, they were both distracted by a colourful 'flower' in a sea of olive drab.

“Who is that?” the Doctor enquired.

“The new girl?” Benton asked. “Apparently she's helping clear the backlog in records and archives. She's only been here a few days.”

“I think I'll go introduce myself to her,” said the Doctor. “It isn't often I see someone here, who isn't a soldier.” _And something seems a bit off, that I need to investigate._

The Doctor looked at the girl, from across the mess hall. The redhead looked to be about 16 or 17, and was slightly taller and curvier than average. She was wearing a floor-length lilac dress, with a metallic purple and light blue cape or shawl draped over her shoulders. She also had an ornate set of hair ornaments, that looked like she had small horns on her head. She was also wearing a set of yellow-tinted bifocal glasses. Her food tray had enough on it to feed three people.

As he walked closer, she looked up at him. “Your bow-tie is crooked. Did you also pull an all-nighter?”

“May I?” the Doctor indicated towards the seat opposite her.

“Go ahead,” she replied.

“Doctor John Smith,” he introduced himself.

“Mizuchi O'Reilly,” replied the girl. “I'm guessing you're the Chief Scientific Advisor the boys keep talking about.”

“I'm guessing you'll be catching up on some sleep, after you've eaten,” commented the Doctor.

“Why do you say that?” Mizuchi asked.

“You've just picked up your orange juice with your wing. I've never met a dragon before.”

Mizuchi looked guiltily at her glass.

Captain Yates suddenly appeared beside the Doctor. “Miss O'Reilly, come with me. The Brigadier requests your presence.” He noticed the glass. “Bloody hell.”

“Oh well,” sighed Mizuchi, placing her glass on the table. “I guess I'd better go see the boss.”

She picked up the last rasher of bacon with her other wing, and followed Yates.

===//===

**Earlier**

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart looked at the two people standing in front of him. Warrant Officer O'Reilly ran the mechanics' workshop at the motor-pool, and Miss Waters worked in the records room.

“Where's the girl?” he asked.

“Girl, sir?” asked O'Reilly.

A flash of guilt showed, briefly, on Miss Waters' face.

The Brigadier looked towards Waters. “How long has she been here?”

“Three days sir,” she replied. “I thought Geneva had sent her from our Tokyo branch, to help with the paperwork.”

“Why would you think that, Miss Waters?”

“She does have the correct identification, sir.”

The Brigadier pressed a button on his desk. “Captain Yates, could you find our 'Archives Assistant' and bring her to my office?”

“On my way, sir” said Yates, over the intercom.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. “Enter.” The Brigadier was mildly surprised to see a seventeen year old girl walk into his office. He was a bit more surprised to see the Doctor walk in behind her, and take a seat on the chair in the corner. “Doctor, I didn't know you were joining us.”

“I'm just a fly on the wall, Alistair, just a fly on the wall,” he replied.

“Warrant Officer O'Reilly, do you know this girl?” the Brigadier asked.

“I have seen her in the mess hall a few times, but I don't say that we've ever been introduced.”

“Very well. You're dismissed. I apologise for the inconvenience.” WO O'Reilly saluted, and exited the office.

 _So, you're this time stream’s version of my great-uncle Seamus,_ Mizuchi thought. The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

The Brigadier faced Mizuchi again. “Now, young lady, show me that identification of yours.”

Mizuchi unclipped her ID tag from her chest, and handed it across.

“Mm,” mused the Brigadier. “Double-sided, for ease of identification between two different offices. UNIT Japan branch, and whatever this 'ICEP' is. It's a very convincing forgery.”

“I assure you, sir, my identification is genuine.”

“You would have me believe a 17 year old girl would be given an important position as the liaison between two government departments.”

Mizuchi stifled a laugh. “It's not as important as you'd think,” she replied. “All the position really entails is collecting correspondence from Oborozuka police station, on my way home from school, and handing it to whichever one of my parents happens to be home, dropping correspondence at the police station on the way to school, and occasionally posing for the cameras during media events.”

“I don't understand. How can that position be so trivial?”

“Budget cuts. That, and a healthy dose of nepotism. Both of my parents are senior Officers in UNIT, and we've practically been family with my ICEP coordinator since I was ten.”

“Have a look at her date of birth, Alistair,” said the Doctor. “She's from UNIT, just not 'our' UNIT.”

“Time travel. Hmmph! That explains why I haven't found reference to ICEP in my files,” he commented. Looking back at Mizuchi, he asked, “what do these initials stand for?”

“Interspecies Cultural Exchange Program,” replied Mizuchi. “When I was ten, the United Nations announced that 'mythical creatures' actually exist. You know, centaurs, harpies, and such like. ICEP was founded to consolidate all of the organisations that secretly protected them, and to help them adjust to modern society.”

“A noble cause,” stated the Doctor. “Learning about, and understanding our differences are the first steps to reducing conflicts. Greeting someone with the hand of friendship is always preferable.”

“Much better than 'the chap with wings, five rounds rapid' most of them are greeted with,” Mizuchi replied.

“I certainly know one or two people with that attitude,” remarked the Doctor.

“Sometimes, those differences are not so different,” replied Mizuchi. “Brigadier, please have a look at line seven of my ICEP identification.”

“Oh, I see 'race' is included, but has a different definition. I suppose it's for medical reasons?” he commented.

“Pretty much,” replied Mizuchi. “Yuki-onna are prone to overheating. Exothermic races can potentially die if they get too cold. Standard first aid procedures, such as CPR, don't work on some of us. Myself, for example”

The Brigadier suddenly did a double-take. “Doctor, did you know about this?”

“About her being a dragon?” he responded. “She gave that away by accident.”

“Dragon?” commented Miss Waters. “I thought she was a mix of dragonewt and wyvern, because of the extra dexterity in her wings, and the blade on her tail.”

“No, about her being a Timelord,” the Brigadier drily replied.

“She's a what?” asked the Doctor.

“It says right here; 'species: Frost Dragon/Timelord hybrid'.”

The Doctor took the ID card from his friend's hand, looked at it, then pulled a stethoscope from one of his many pockets. “May I?” he asked.

“Fine,” replied Mizuchi. “If it will ease your curiosity.”

“Great Jehosephat!” he exclaimed. “Two hearts!” _++Which Gene-loom did you come from?++_

_++I didn't. I was born the old-fashioned way. My mother was too, by the way.++_

The Brigadier noticed the look of surprise on the Doctor's face. “Doctor, do you mind not using telepathy? Some of us in the room would like to be part of the conversation. Miss Waters, I'm now officially placing you in charge of Miss O'Reilly. I'll talk to you later, Miss Waters, about how you know about ...demi-humans?... No more keeping secrets. Protecting Britain's citizens includes all of them, regardless of who they are." 

“Sorry about the telepathy, Alistair,” commented the Doctor. “Some old habits are hard to fall out of. I was surprised at her lineage, as the population is ...uh, regulated quite strictly on Gallifrey.” 

Mizuchi answered quickly. “About the 'Timelord' part of my heritage. They only included it on there, so paramedics know to listen for two hearts, and don't just grab the defibrillation gear." 

There was a knock at the door, and Captain Yates entered, carrying Mizuchi's case. “Here's her luggage, sir. It only has clothes and a toiletry bag in it.” 

“Privacy on a military base sure is hard to come by,” observed Mizuchi. “However, I did have it coming. Twist the latch buttons, so the raised dots are both at the six o'clock position, then open it again.” 

Yates followed her instructions. “Documents! How did you do that? It's like magic” 

“Dimensional engineering. It just looks like magic. It's similar to how you build a TARDIS, but less complicated. I know you're going to look anyway, but turning the dots, so one is up and one is down, unlocks my UNIT or ICEP gear. The two dots together unlocks my first-aid kit. The dots away from each other unlocks my emergency camping equipment. The other possible combinations are just snacks and food. What? I'm a growing dragon.” 

“Speaking of documents.” The Brigadier pulled an opened envelope from his desk. “The only reason I even found out you were here, was because this arrived in the mail-room.” He held it up. The back had an old-fashioned wax seal, with a coat of arms embossed on it. On the front, was a very precise address: 

__**Mizuchi Erika O'Reilly**  
**The Spare Office in the Archives Department**   
**United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, London Branch Headquarters**

He showed the letter that was inside the envelope. “Apparently, you've been accepted to some boarding school called ...let's see here... 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry'. There is also an attached letter from the Ministry of Magic. I'll have to have a talk with the Prime Minister about not disclosing that little gem. You're supposed to provide records of your previous education.” 

“[Translation Unavailable] Not more [Translation Unavailable] school.” groaned Mizuchi, gaining a dirty look off the Doctor. 

_“Where did you pick up that sort of language, young lady?” chided the Doctor._

“Starship repair workshops. Mum's owns a Mobile Dry Dock. It's amazing what you can learn, while travelling.” she replied. 

_++You know very well you were swearing in Dalek. I ought to wash your mouth out with soap.++_

“Anyway,” Mizuchi continued. “I completed my education, including my education in magic, when I was fifteen. Five other dragons taught me all sorts of things. Plus, you can do your study practically anything online ...sorry, by correspondence... where I come from. You only need to attend a physical classroom for certain examinations, as everyone learns at a different rate. One of my best friends completed his Level 4 Wizardry qualifications before he started middle-school” 

“Quite an achievement,” commented the Doctor. 

“I'll have to get some annotated copies of my certificates,” said Mizuchi. “The originals are in my case. Anyone Level 4 and above is qualified to be an instructor for anyone at least two levels lower.” A rainbow coloured magic circle appeared above her right palm. “Does it say how we send a reply? 

“Surprisingly, it doesn't. I'll find out, when I have my regular meeting with the Prime Minister this afternoon. Seeing as you've been transcribing tapes all night, I suggest you get a few hours sleep. You're coming with me, so he can't pretend he's never heard of one of his own Ministries.” 


	2. Chapter 2

Outside Interference

Chapter 2

Sarah-Jane Smith walked into the main building of UNIT HQ, after taking nearly a week off, investigating strange lights near an old ruin in Scotland. It turns out it was just some kids playing around, trying to make floating lanterns, after reading about them in a book.

As she walked down the main corridor, she spotted the familiar face of Captain Yates. “Hey, Mike! Is the Doctor still in his lab?”

“Hi, Sarah-Jane,” he replied. “Actually, he's working on Bessie. He wants to show her off to the new girl.”

“New girl?”

“Transferred over from our Japan branch a few days ago, to help Gwen clear her file backlog,” he replied. “I'm on the way to fetch her, for the Brigadier.”

“I think I'll join you. Lead the way.”

===//===

Captain Yates knocked on the door to the spare office. “Mizuchi?” He didn't receive an answer. “She's either still asleep, or she's gone up to the showers.”

Quietly pushing open the door, he noticed she was asleep in the office's bed. Although her wings and tail were still hidden, her blanket had slipped off, during her sleep, to reveal she was only wearing underwear and an old t-shirt. There was a small puddle of drool on her pillow.

_Are those ice crystals?_ Yates thought. _I hope Sarah-Jane hasn't noticed._

It turns out Yates didn't need to worry about the freezing drool. The reporter had found something else. “Is that photograph moving?!”

Mizuchi half-opened one eye. “Yes the picture moves,” she mumbled, still half-asleep. “The recessed buttons on the right of the frame change the video playback. Top is previous, middle is pause or play, bottom is next. The ones on the left are volume control.”

“An electronic photo album,” she commented. “What will they think of next? Is this someone's wedding?”

Mizuchi sat up, and wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth. “That was taken last year, when my mother got married.”

“It's beautiful,” she replied.

Captain Yates looked at the photo. “Where's the groom?”

“Mike,” replied Sarah-Jane. “Her mother married another woman.”

Sarah-Jane turned around, just as Mizuchi stretched . “Oh! Wings! Mike, why did you lie about her coming from Japan? You know I know the Doctor is an alien.”

“He didn't lie ...exactly...” commented Mizuchi. “I'm from Earth, just a different version of it. I'm assuming the Brigadier is waiting for us. Captain Yates, stop staring at my legs, and give me a bit of privacy, so I can get changed. Should I dress normally, or wear one of my uniforms?”

“Given the nature of the meeting,” replied Yates. “The less people who realise you're a dragon, the better. The wings would be hard to hide, if you're in uniform.”

“Uniform?” Sarah-Jane asked. “You're only a teenager. Why would you have a uniform?”

“It looks more professional for PR sessions,” she replied, as she clasped together the most complicated bra Sarah-Jane had ever seen. “Be glad you don't have wings. All of my clothes have to be heavily customised. At least I can hide my tail under my skirt. I think I'll wear my lilac dress today.”

===//===

“Good afternoon, Prime Minister Callaghan,” greeted the Brigadier, “I trust you are in good health?”

“I'm quite well, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart,” responded the Prime Minister. “Who is your young companion?”

“This is Miss O'Reilly,” he replied. “She's on temporary assignment from our Japan office.”

“How are things going, Brigadier? Do you have anything to report?”

“I did find a couple of things of concern. What is the Ministry of Magic?”

“Whatever do you mean?”

Mizuchi handed the Brigadier her letters, and he placed it on the Prime Minister's desk. “This arrived in the morning mail.”

“Oh!” the Prime Minister looked guilty. “Can you pretend you didn't see that?”

“Not when it concerns someone in my charge.”

The Prime Minister picked up a small jar, and went to the fireplace. He opened the jar, and placed a pinch of the powder from within into the fire. “McGonagall's office.”

A face appeared in the fire. “Mr Callaghan, what can I do for you?”

“Professor McGonagall, could you come to my office? It's complicated.”

“Just a moment.” The fire flared green, and a woman stepped out.

“Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, this is Professor McGonagall. She's in charge of admissions at Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall, this is Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. He's in charge of protecting the country from terrorist attacks.”

“Wouldn't it be better, if you called the Aurors' office?” McGonagall sounded impatient.

Mizuchi spoke up. “Actually, Professor, you were called because I received a letter, but didn't provide the means to reply.”

“Why would you need to send a reply?” McGonagall asked. “All of the instructions for enrolment were in the attached letter.”

“It didn't provide a way to decline the letter,” Mizuchi replied, to McGonagall's surprise. “I already have my Class 6 magic certification. Plus, I'm currently on attachment to UNIT's archives department.”

“I'm sorry, young lady,” McGonagall replied. “By law, all under-aged wizards must attend a registered boarding school. No exceptions.”

“[Translation Unavailable]”

“Language, Miss O'Reilly,” chided the Brigadier.

“What was that?” the other two adults asked.

“She knows several languages,” replied the Brigadier. “I don't know what she said, but I do know it was profanity.”

“Meet me at the Leaky Cauldron tomorrow morning, nine o'clock sharp, Miss O'Reilly,” said McGonagall, pulling some extra envelopes from her robes. “And hand these to your brother. The delivery owls cannot seem to find the ship he's on, or the other four with the same address.”

She then walked back into the fireplace, and dropped in some powder. “McGonagall's office!”

She disappeared in a flash of green.

“Brigadier, I need to make a couple of calls,” said Mizuchi.

“Come with me,” he replied.

===///===

“Captain Yates,” said the Brigadier, over the phone. “There is a map in the documents section of Miss O'Reilly's case, with a place marked on it, and a set of keys. You have her permission to break in, if the keys don't work. Amongst her camping equipment is a box with the constellation of Cassiopeia on the lid. Place it in the middle of a large clearing on the property. How large, Mizuchi?”

“At least as large as you would need to land half a dozen or so cargo-helicopters,” she replied.

“Did you hear her? Good. Take some men with you, just in case. Once you're satisfied with the clearing, place the box in the middle of the clearing, and switch on the device inside it. It's actually a landing-beacon. Would you rather they land in the middle of London?.” He then hung up the phone. “You better not make me regret this decision.”

“You won't,” Mizuchi replied. “The school might, though.” She pushed a few buttons on a device on her forearm.  
“That's a portable Space-time telegraph, isn't it?”

“Not really, but a close enough description,” she replied, as the holographic screen lit up, revealing a young woman's face. “Heyyy! Big Cass, I just found out you were in-system. Is the doof driving?”

“Yeah,” replied the woman. “We were a bit off with our entry vector, so we'll be there sometime tonight.”

“Tomorrow will be interesting. Don't worry about the soldiers. They won't try anything.”

There was the sound of a baby fussing in the background. “Aww. Little Cass is wondering where her aunt is.” 

The Brigadier saw a small head appear on the screen. “Your brother is a parent?”

“Cassiopeia, I think Cassandra needs feeding,” commented Mizuchi.

“I think she does too,” she replied. “We'll talk to you after we land.” The screen went blank.

Mizuchi showed the Brigadier the letters

_Hiroshi Sean O”Reilly  
Captain's Quarters  
UNSDF Cassiopeia_

****_Ventris Kumo  
Engineer's Quarters  
UNSDF Cassiopeia_

****_Galadriel Paladin  
Security Chief's Quarters  
UNSDF Cassiopeia_

****_Renata Slytherin  
Doctor's Quarters  
UNSDF Cassiopeia_

****_Cassiopeia Tempus  
Navigator's Quarters  
UNSDF Cassiopeia _

“My twin brother, Hiroshi, and the four girls he's shacking-up with. Before you ask, he's not a dragon.”

“Four wives? Isn't that illegal?”

“They're not married on paper, if that's what you're worried about. He knocked them up. He's got to deal with it.”

“That's a bit blasé.”

“At least he didn't ditch them, like what happened to Mum. They have four children between them, so I hope Hogwarts has decent childcare facilities. 'No exceptions' is a stupid policy.”

They both had a good laugh over that.

“Before we head back to HQ, there's someone I'd like you to meet. He's at Dartmoor, so we'll need to order a helicopter.”

===//===

The warden and two armed guards watched, as the helicopter circled towards the pad, near the main watchtower. It wasn't often, when the Brigadier came for a visit outside of his regular schedule, but Mr Magister tended to get agitated, on those rare occasions that Dr Smith decided to join him.

The Master watched the helicopter landing, via the concealed CCTV system he kept hidden in his cell. “What is he up to?” he muttered to himself. “Alastair never goes outside of his routine, unless the Doctor is with him, to show off.” 

He was mildly surprised, to see only the Brigadier and a young woman disembark from the helicopter. “Where's the Doctor?”

He pressed a button near the monitor. “Mr Jones. Did the warden say anything about our visitors, today?”

The voice of 'Mr Jones' replied. “He's bringing the new Archives assistant, to collect last month's paperwork.”

_There must be something else,_ thought the Master. _He would never bring someone so young to a place like this. Maybe I can use this to my advantage._

===//===

“Shit!” yelled one of the guards. “The dogs got loose!”

The warden turned in horror, to see a pack of Alsations bearing down on the young redhead. “Quickly!” he called. “Get behind us! The dogs are trained to attack anyone not wearing a unif- What the hell?”

The dogs were bouncing around the new girl, like excited puppies, with the pack leader already on its back, getting its stomach rubbed. “Do you want to go fetch their handlers?” she asked, trying to stop her face being licked.

As the dogs were being led away, the Brigadier whispered. “I almost had a heart attack. How did you do that?”

“The dogs aren't stupid,” she whispered back. She grinned. “Besides, I suspect they were let out on purpose.”

“Quite,” the Brigadier noticed the small fangs in her mouth. “Try not to expose your nature in front of the locals.”

“I know. I know.” she replied, shortly before the warden and guards returned.

“My apologies,” said the warden. “I don't know how that happened.”

“No problem,” replied Mizuchi. “Is there a bathroom nearby? I'm going to need to find somewhere to wash the dog slobber off my face and hands.”

After a few minutes, Mizuchi walked out of the restroom, smelling slightly of soap.

The warden glanced at a panel on his desk. “It looks like His Nibbs is ready to receive visitors.”

They walked into a cell that was closer to a luxury hotel suite. Sitting in an armchair was a man dressed in black. “Alistair,” he greeted. “For what do I owe this wonderful visit?”

“Mr Magister,” the Brigadier replied, sardonically. “I thought that I had better introduced my newest staff member and yourself to each other.”

“Oh? And who is this lovely young lady?” he asked.

“Victor Magister, this is Mizuchi O'Reilly. Mizuchi O'Reilly, this is Victor Magister.”

“Charmed, I'm sure,” greeted the Master. A look of surprise flashed almost imperceptibly across his face. If Mizuchi wasn't expecting it, she would have missed it.

After an hour or so of verbal fencing between the Master and the Brigadier, their helicopter was taking off, and they were on their way to Mizuchi's map coordinates.

“He was worried,” commented the Brigadier. “He doesn't realise it, but after all the time I have spent with the Doctor, I'm good at picking up Timelord facial-cues.”

“He was trying to mind-probe us the entire time we were there,” replied Mizuchi.

“Yes. The Doctor taught me how to block that sort of thing. My mind is like a steel trap.”

“He gave up on you after the first ten minutes. He needed to put more of his attention into trying to access my mind. I think I psychically exhausted him”

“That was why he suddenly asked us to leave.”

“He's going to want an opportunity to try again.”

===//===

The warden walked into the Master's cell. “That was completely unexpected. When the dogs were released, she showed absolutely no sign of fear. ...and for them to be completely submissive to her...”

“She was immune to my mind-probing,” the Master commented. “The Brigadier, I can understand. His mental defences are like a brick wall. With enough effort,I'd be able to break through. Her mind, however, it's like trying to grasp water. Find out what you can about her.”


	3. Chapter 3

Outside Interference

Chapter 3

Miss Waters left the Brigadier's office, after a very long talk. While Captain Yates headed for the Archives room, to collect Mizuchi, she went towards the Mess Hall, for lunch. The 'talk' with the Brigadier was informative. Unfortunately, she had to disclose how she knew about demi-humans.

_At least he's considering hiring some of them, as they're still British citizens,_ she thought. While she was thinking about how she was going to explain what had happened during the week to the rest of her family, she bumped into someone. “Sorry, I was lost in thought.”

“The Brigadier gave you the 'full-disclosure talk' didn't he?” whispered O'Reilly. 

She dragged him to a table in the corner. “You knew she was a demi-human?” she whispered.

“She is?” he replied. “I thought you were both getting the 'aliens are real' talk, seeing as you're going through all of the Archive recordings. Although it sort of makes sense with how much she eats.”

“Damn,” she replied. “Can you keep it quiet about her. We don't know how the others will react.”

“Well Jensen, Finnegan, and myself should be safe,” he replied. “We guard the local Harpy, Kobold, and Centaur villages, respectively.”

“My father and uncle are the same, but for the Dragonewts and Wyverns,” she commented. “When I phone Dad tonight, I'm going to have to break the news to him, that I had to disclose their existence to the Brigadier.”

“You didn't?” O'Reilly was shocked and disappointed. “Why?”

“I had no choice,” she replied. “I had to explain how I knew Mizuchi was a demi-human. On the upside, I get to break some good news to Dad.”

“Where's the upside?” O'Reilly was incredulous. “You've potentially endangered two demi-human villages.”

“Mizuchi is a Frost Dragon.”

“Say that again.”

“Mizuchi is a Frost Dragon.” replied Miss Waters. “The Brigadier didn't give a damn about her having wings, etc. the only thing he was annoyed with, was we didn't check her in with him on day one. She only checked in with me.”

===//===

Captain Yates hung up the phone, and picked up his notebook. “Looks like I'm gong on a road trip.”

“I couldn't help but overhear,” said Miss Waters, from the adjacent desk. “I would suggest taking Warrant Officer O'Reilly, Corporal Jensen, and Sergeant Finnegan with you.”

“Any particular reason?” he asked.

“Let's just say they won't have any bad reactions, if our resident dragon accidentally used a wing to pick something up again,” she stated.

“Fine,” he replied. “You're coming too. You're in on this, so now you get to see how far you're in.”

===//===

Corporal Jensen looked at the other three soldiers who were in the back of the truck with him, and asked “Do either of you know why we're going down a dirt road, in the middle of nowhere, with a bunch of tree-clearing equipment, and enough food for twelve of us?”

“Special assignment,” replied Sergeant Benton. “We've been asked to check if a location earmarked for some sensitive, heavy equipment is actually suitable for it to be deployed. The chainsaws are just in case there are one or two stray trees in the way.”

“What about the food?” Finnegan asked.

“The Brigadier, and Miss O'Reilly are going to want something to eat, when their helicopter meets us there this evening.”

“I understand,” said O'Reilly.

“We don't,” chorused Jensen and Finnegan.

“Mizuchi is a demi-human,” Benton stated. “My family guards the Holstaurus village.”

“Arachne,” Yates called from the Driver's seat. “Although it's only my aunt, and a couple of cousins.”

“So Miss Waters?” asked Finnegan.

“Two villages,” she called from the other front seat. “Wyverns, and Dragonewts. Mike, turn left here.”

===//===

As Yates pulled up, just outside of the location on the map, he was confused. “There's nothing here, but a rocky knoll.”

Miss Waters looked up from the map. “What knoll? We're parked right in front of an old manor.”

“Elven glamours, maybe?” joked Jensen.

“He could be right... sort of,” replied Miss Waters, handing Yates Mizuchi's keys. “You're right. Knoll.”

“And I now see the manor,” he confirmed. “Some sort of camouflage. That's why Mizuchi had us bring a landing beacon.”

“What?!” Benton was surprised. “A spaceship? Here?”

“Would you prefer the middle of London?” Yates replied.

They opened the hidden gates, and drove in.

“I've just realised where we are!” O'Reilly exclaimed. “That forest is where the Centaur village is.

“Well, that forest,” Miss Waters pointed to the one on the opposite side of the property, “is where the Dragonewt village is.”

Yates spoke up, tossing Miss Waters the keys. “Yes, yes. It's a small world, we're going to check the LZ. Gwen, please check the manor-house.”

===//===

The helicopter circled what looked like a rocky knoll. “We can't land here,” the pilot said over his headset.

Mizuchi handed him her glasses. “Look again, but with these.”

“How did you do that?” he asked.

“It's either a magical glamour on the area, or some boffin used a projector to make that little knoll over there look a lot bigger than it really is.” She took back her glasses.

“Clever,” said the pilot. “Nothing beats British scientific know-how.”

“Too right,” said the Brigadier, giving Mizuchi a sharp look. “If Britain doesn't lead the way, who will? Japan?”

Mizuchi returned the sharp look.

They landed the helicopter in a clearing, near the property.

===//===

**UNSDF CASSIOPEIA**

“Girls! Make your final checks,” Hiroshi called over the intercom. “We make Planetfall in ten minutes!” The only male on the ship brushed his red hair out of his eyes, and turned to his pilot. “The conn is in your hands, Cass.”

“Piece of cake,” the blonde replied. “As long as the beacon is up. I can land with pinpoint accuracy.”

“Engine room ready,” Ventris tied her purple hair back, into a ponytail, and positioned her eight legs, so she wouldn't be buffeted by turbulence, as they landed.

“Infirmary secured. Joining the others in the nursery” Renata moved her tail out of the doorway, closed the hatch, and slithered towards the living quarters of the ship.

The ship jolted a little, as she met Hiroshi in the part of the ship the babies were in. Her daughter, Sally was resting in her aunt's arms, and one of Ventris's triplets was in her sister-wife's.

“Looks like we each get a Fate-weaver,” joked Hiroshi.

“I'll tell Ventris you said that,” said Renata. “You know she doesn't like the nickname your older sister gave them.”

“Sit your butts down,” Cass called over the intercom. “Planetfall in two minutes!”

===//===

**Centaur Village**

Chief Shianus was worried. Earlier that day, the scouts reported a transport truck, with army markings in the area. Five minutes ago, he saw a helicopter briefly land nearby, and the glamours protecting the Sturmdrachen family's manor vanish. He pulled out the night-vision binoculars Sean O'Reilly once gave him, and looked towards the manor.

“What do you see, my lord?” asked one of the sentries.

“The truck is still parked near the manor-house, and a vintage car has pulled up behind it. There is a man, dressed similar to a wizard, a couple of women, and some soldiers. There are two more people near the front of the truck.” He gasped in surprise.

“What is it, my lord?” asked the other sentry.

“It's Sean!” the chief sounded like he'd just been kicked in the stomach. “Why did he lead them here?”

“I'm sure he wouldn't be tray us,” said the first sentry. “May I see?” She took the binoculars from the chief. “Ohmygodit'sadragon!”

“What was that?” the chief replied. “Say that again?”

“A dragon!” she said. “The girl next to Sean is a dragon.”

“Are you sure she's not a Dragonewt, from the neighbouring forest?' asked the other sentry.

“Unless one of them had their way with one of the Wyverns from down south, I'm looking at the first dragon to set foot in Britain since Saint George did what he did. What is she pointing to?”

BOOM!

===//===

**Dragonewt Village**

The Dragonewt scout was watching the old Sturmdrachen manor all afternoon. She recognised the daughter of Rob Waters as soon as she exited the truck. All the soldiers seemed to be doing, was measuring the old, neglected horse paddock. They were obviously allowed in. the woman had the keys, and they looked like they were getting ready for someone to re-inhabit the manor-house.

Her suspicions were confirmed, when a helicopter dropped off two passengers; a high-ranking army officer, and a young girl, who was very obviously a disguised demi-human. It wasn't until a yellow car arrived that she realised, with shock, the girl was a DRAGON. An actual dragon. _The chief isn't going to like that he can't lord it over the Wyverns that he was the closest thing in the area to their dragon ancestors,_ she thought. _What is she pointing to?_

BOOM!

===//===

Mizuchi stretched her arms, and then her wings. She turned towards Warrant Officer O'Reilly. “Has the Brigadier said anything to you, about me, yet?”

“Should he have?” he asked.

“Great,” she moaned. “Looks like I get to do it. I'm a time traveller.”

“Like the Doctor?” he asked.

“Something like that,” she replied. “Except there was also a 'sideways' component involved.”

“I think I understand. Parallel futures, right? Some important decision changes the future, like the upcoming elections. Does Callaghan get an extra term, or do we begin the 80s with Thatcher?”

“Close enough, except in my case, it's 'does Patrick O'Reilly climb through the shattered glass of the crashed spaceship's window, or does he waste five minutes, trying to force the hatch? Is Val still wheelchair-bound?” she asked.

“How do you know about her?!” he exclaimed.

“In my timeline, she died giving birth to my mother.” Mizuchi looked him in the eyes. “I'm your grandniece.” She looked down at her wrist, and pointed south. “Your grandnephew should be coming from that direction in about thirty seconds.”

BOOM!

Everyone looked towards the noise, as a large object entered the atmosphere. It circled the manor, for a moment, looking like a giant insect, with massive jet engines, instead of wings.

“What is that?” the Brigadier asked Mizuchi.

“My brother and Cass are big science-fiction nerds,” Mizuchi answered. “So, Cass made herself a Firefly-class cargo ship.”

“That thing is an abomination!” the Doctor angrily remarked. “What did you do to that TARDIS?”

“Ask her yourself,” replied Mizuchi. “She'll be landing in a moment.”

The ship lowered its landing-struts, and landed right on top of the beacon.

A few moments later, the cargo ramp lowered, and several people stood at the entrance. One was an arachne, another was a lamia. it was too dark to make out what the rest of them were.

“How long were you guys travelling?” Mizuchi asked. “Cass, you look about ready to pop!”

“I'll let Fern tell you how long we've been travelling,” she replied.

Mizuchi was suddenly crash-tackled by 78kg of frisky Dryad. As Mizuchi was being dragged into the ship, her last coherent words, before a tongue ended up down her throat, was “explain what you are to the timelord before he has an aneurysm.”

Cass looked at the group, and guessed the one dressed as the stage-play vampire was the Timelord. “Calm down, or you'll go into a regeneration crisis. My name is Cassiopeia, and I am a TARDIS. When Hiroshi and the girls found me, I was severely damaged. Most of the modifications,” she indicated the ship, “were to salvage and repair me. Some,” she indicated to her 'human' form “was because of personal reasons.”


	4. Chapter 4

Outside Interference

Chapter 4

The stunned silence was broken by Galadriel. “Who says dragons don't eat veg-” whack “...Ventris! That hurt!”

“Thanks for giving me an image of my little sister, that I really didn't want,” Hiroshi commented. "I need to wash my brain out with soap."

The Brigadier observed the rest ship's crew. The only male amongst the motley group walked down the ramp. The redhead could almost pass for any 'average' teenage male, if he wasn't currently cradling an infant arachne in his left arm.

The young man saluted the Brigadier. “Cadet-sergeant O'Reilly, ICEP, MON division. I must apologise for the nature of our arrival.” He removed some letters from his jacket pocket. “We were supposed to arrive a few weeks before my sister, with Cass and myself discreetly arriving in a shuttlecraft. Unfortunately, we exited our dimension-jump too far out, and I didn't want to risk putting further strain on her systems.” He presented the letters to the Brigadier. “These are for you, from the CO of 'our' version of UNIT.”

“Mizuchi said your parents are in command,” the Brigadier commented, as he received the letters. “What happened to UNIT in your time-line?”

“I suppose you want to know, so it doesn't happen here,” Hiroshi replied. “Long story short; people with too much power, but not enough security clearance, declared UNIT 'too much of a drain on the budget, when each nation has their own intelligence networks'. A UN resolution was passed shortly afterwards, and the organisation was shut down. Mum quickly bought up all of the classified assets, with her own money, before they ended up in the wrong hands. When the big announcement happened, we just happened to be living in Japan, so Mum took advantage, and formed a mutually-beneficial arrangement with Director Nakahara of ICEP.”

“That is unfortunate,” he commented. “It looks like your friend has calmed the Doctor down. Now his curiosity has overridden his initial reaction.” His eyes were drawn to some movement, and looked into a tiny set of six green eyes. “I'm still getting used to the concept monsters being real, and they're not all monsters. May I?”

Hiroshi glanced back to the larger arachne, who nodded. He carefully transferred his daughter to the Brigadier's arms. “Speaking of monsters, has there been any ...trouble... with my sister, since she arrived?”

The Brigadier looked up from the baby he was holding. “Define trouble.”

“Her thought processes are much closer to those of a dragon,” he replied. “Additionally, she has three heads in her full-dragon form, so what you will have seen is a 'gestalt' personality of all three minds combined.”

“She has multiple personality disorder?” Miss Waters asked, concerned.

“So far, they're all similar enough that no one will notice,” he replied. “The second letter explains everything in more detail. We have multiple dragons living nearby, so they helped us to understand what to expect.”

“Is she dangerous?” there was an edge to the Brigadier's voice.

“Of course she's dangerous. She's a dragon,” Hiroshi replied. “Dangerous to you? No. Your counterpart from our time-line is our godfather. By extension, she'll treat all of your subordinates as if they were her brothers and sisters.”

“My babysitting duties just gained extra responsibilities, didn't they?” Miss Waters commented.

“I think we should continue the discussions in the mansion,” Hiroshi commented. “It's getting cold out here, and Mizuchi will be ...occupied... for a while.”

“There's no power inside,” commented Benton.

“Not a problem,” Hiroshi's eyes briefly looked unfocussed. A moment later, the mansion's lights came on. “The auxiliary power should run for about a week. That should be enough time to refurbish the main generators.”

“How did you do that?” the Doctor asked, briefly distracted from his conversation with Cassiopeia. 

“I didn't see a magic circle appear,” commented the Brigadier. “So I'm assuming you didn't use magic.”

The larger arachne draped her free arm over her husband. “Honey did use magic,” she replied. “The colour of his circles just isn't visible to the human eye, which is a shame. They're so pretty.”

===//===

The group was sitting in a large room, eating food from both the ship, and the truck. Ventris and Renata were in a discreet corner of the room, feeding their babies. Warrant officer O'Reilly and Miss Waters were assisting, bottles in hand. Finnegan was debating with Galadriel about the benefits of certain types of sniper equipment over others. Cassiopeia and the Doctor were still continuing with their conversation from outside. Benton and Yates had just come upstairs from 'investigating' the wine cellar.

“I might have to go to this Leaky Cauldron place, tomorrow, instead of my sister.” Hiroshi examined the Hogwarts letters. “Before you get the wrong idea, I don't think Fern and Mizuchi have gone past the 'heavy-petting' stage of their relationship. If they're under Fern's sunlamp, they'll be kissing for hours.”

“Don't they need to come up for air eventually?” Yates laughed.

“If Fern is photosynthesising, they'll only stop when one of them gets hungry. Most likely Mizuchi, some time around midnight.”

Galadriel interrupted from where she was sitting. “Find out why I was sent a letter. I'm nineteen.”

“Your home-world orbits closer to the sun,” replied Ventris. “In Earth years, you're actually somewhere between Renata's and my age. It's also why Fern didn't receive a letter. Her home-world has a 400 day year.”

===//===

**Dragonewt Village**

“Where have you been?” the sentry asked impatiently. “It's way beyond curfew.”

The scout was panting, after running most of the way back to the village. “...army... mansion... plane... must... chief...”

“Catch your breath first,” said the sentry. “What are you trying to say?”

Just then the chief and his two bodyguards arrived. “You're late, young lady! Daughter or not, give me a good reason not to make you sleep in the forest tonight.”

“I... can give you several,” she started to get her breath back. “The army have landed some weird cargo plane at the old mansion.”

“That close?” he was surprised. “I thought the manor had protection against intrusion.”

“They had keys,” she explained. “I think someone from the mage's family are moving back home. Also, the plane had demi-humans on-board.”

“I'll just have to visit them, and let them bask in the glory of a descendant of the dragons of old,” he bragged.

“...about that...” she hesitated. “...they might not be as impressed, as you'd think.”

“That's blasphemy!” exclaimed one of the bodyguards. “Doubting the divine nature of our chief is a criminal offence!”

“I am disappointed with you,” said the chief. “You are hereby banished from the village. You are no longer my daughter. Get out of my sight!”

===//===

It was close to midnight, when Fern and Mizuchi finally walked down the cargo ramp.

Mizuchi stretched out her wings. “I think I'll take advantage of the seclusion to fly around for a-”

Her head shot towards the small knoll at the back of the property. There was a camp-fire on top of it

“What is it?” Fern asked in concern.

“Wake Renata, and grab a stretcher,” she replied, before flying towards the knoll.

Fern ran towards the manor as fast as she could.

===//===

...beep...beep...beep...

“It's good to see you're waking up,” said a woman's voice. “You took a bit of a tumble, when part of the knoll crumbled. Can you tell me your name?”

“T... Tracy..” groaned the dragonewt. She opened her eyes to see a woman, with the lower-half of a snake, looking at some sort of screen. _A lamia!_ she thought. _I didn't think there were any in Britain._ “I can't feel my anything.”

“You won't,” she replied. “At least not until the anaesthetic wears off. Your right arm and right wing are fractured. You have bruises everywhere, and your wing membranes are torn in several places. You should be fine to move to your village's clinic in two or three days.”

“I've been banished,” Tracy replied. “I can't go back.”

“Oh... I'm sorry,” Renata apologised. “I'll prepare a room in the mansion, for when you're ready to be moved.” There was the sound of a baby fussing. “Looks like Sally is waking up for her 4AM feed. Excuse me for a moment.”

Tracy slowly turned her head, to see a portable crib, with a baby lamia inside. She looked around at the rest of her surroundings. “Where am I?”

Renata picked up her baby, and adjusted her top for her to feed. “You're in my infirmary. My sister-in-law heard your fall, as she came down the cargo ramp.”

“I'm on the cargo plane?”

“Plane? Sure ...plane... Just rest up. I'll stay with you until one of the others takes over.”

===//===

A jeep pulls up in front of an old pub. The building looked abandoned. At least at first glance. Benton turned towards his passenger. “It's like the Doc's TARDIS, isn't it? Something is being emitted from it, to make you not notice it.”

“Definitely, some version of Perception Filter,” replied Hiroshi. “Let's go inside.”

The door opened to reveal a dark, straight out of the middle-ages, tavern. “I hope the ambience of this place is just to discourage accidental visitors,” Hiroshi commented.

“It is,” replied an older woman, sitting near the Bar. “I'm assuming you're Mr O'Reilly.”

“Miss McGonagall? You are correct in that assumption,” replied Hiroshi. “This is Sgt. Benton. He'll be our ride this morning.”

“Ride?” asked the witch. “Where is your sister, and the others?”

“It's easier to explain, if we show you,” he replied.

===//===

McGonagall looked up in amazement. “That is your ship? No wonder the owls couldn't deliver your letters.”

“There are more surprises coming,” Benton said, cryptically.

A girl with green hair was walking towards them, from the ship. She was holding a bundle in one arm, and had a baby-bottle in the other.

“A baby?” McGonagall commented. “That would make studying difficult.”

“Hey, little bro,” said Fern. “You just missed Sally's first word.”

“Damn!” exclaimed Hiroshi. “What was it?”

“Spanner,” she replied. “Renata wasn't happy.” She turned towards McGonagall. “Are you here to see my sisters-in-law?”

“What are your childcare facilities like?” asked Ventris, as she rappelled down from the roof with her webs. “Renata's baby, and my three, have only been on solids for about a fortnight. On top of that, Cassiopeia and Galadriel are due any day now.”

McGonagall's eyes widened in surprise. “I've never seen an arachne before. I thought they were myths.”

“Says the witch, with the magic wand,” Ventris replied, drily.

“Point taken,” McGonagall replied. “I'm going to have to talk with the Ministry about arranging tutors. Not because of the demi-human thing. We have a werewolf enrolled at the moment, and had a vampire when I was a student. We won't be able to take care of that many babies with our current staff structure. Poppy would have been happy to look after one or two, but we don't have anyone to assist her.”

“You might have trouble finding a tutor with the appropriate ...level...” Hiroshi commented. “It might be easier to get someone to assess our abilities, and be done with it, rather than assessing us and then trying to find a suitable tutor.”

Ventris turned to Benton. “Sergeant, while I was checking the roof for leaks, I spotted a couple of centaurs heading this way. Be ready for trouble.”


	5. Chapter 5

Outside Interference

Chapter 5

**Centaur Village**

Rosie looked towards the old mansion. “Chief Shianus's precaution to increase the sentries on this side of the village was a wise move.” It looked like his theory that a family member was preparing to reoccupy the property was accurate. The Young Lord had already altered the protection glamours. To the eyes of any non-magical folk passing by, the mansion looked like a military communications facility, with the weird aeroplane looking like a giant radio tower.

Earlier that morning, a soldier took the Young Lord away in a small vehicle. From what she could observe, now that the sun was up, there were at least four women in the group. She definitely saw a lamia carrying a baby, so the Young Lord had at least two or three wives. The arrangement was commonplace amongst centaurs and dragonewts, but unusual with humans.

While she was preoccupied, watching a dryad using her abilities to rapid-grow hedges around the property, one of the other sentries let out a startled cry. “Spider demon!” he called. “It's on the roof of the mansion, and nobody has seemed to notice it!”

“Shit!” Rosie swore. “Strider, you're with me! Jenny, alert the chief!”

===//===

As they were galloping down the hillside, they noticed the Young Lord returning. They still hadn't noticed the danger that lurked above them. As the monster jumped into the middle of the group, Strider shouted. “Three more! They're about to swarm the Young Lord!”

Rosie indeed saw three miniature-versions of the monster making a beeline for the redhead. They could just hear the monsters' war-cries over their hoof-beats.

“Chichi ga kaettekita!”

“Atashi o mochiagete!”

“Otousan daisuke!”

Strider and Rosie drew their bows...

The next thing Rosie knew, she was on the ground, with a blade against her neck, and a weight pinning her arm to the ground. As she opened her eyes, she could see a boot on her upper arm. She looked up the boot-owner's shapely leg, to see a well-rounded rear end.

_The blade is attached to the end of her tail!_ Rosie looked further up the dragonewt's curvy body, and saw she was holding a halberd, the tip of the three-foot blade was pointing right in the middle of Strider's eyes. Ice crystals formed in the air around the dragonew-- _Oh, Fuck! She's not a dragonewt! We've done something to piss off a dragon!_

**_“Atashinokazoku ni mouchido buki o mukete kudasai, soshite atashi wa anata no koutta shitai o anata no mura no mae ni okimasu!”_ **

The dryad suddenly pulled the angry dragon off the two of them.

“Not off to a good first impression.” commented the dryad, as Rosie's field of view was unblocked.

The three miniature spider demons were climbing the Young Lord and their larger counterpart. They were giggling, and jumping from one to the other. The larger spider demon was in turn cradling the infant lamia. The two humans that had accompanied the Young Lord were staring at the dragon with looks of horror on their faces.

“Did she just wordlessly materialise an enchanted weapon?” McGonagall asked.

“Did she just threaten to...?” Benton asked.

“Yes, and yes,” replied Fern. “She's actually showing some restraint. The last person to threaten a family member is only 'alive' because he had a horcrux hidden somewhere.”

“Oh my god!” Rosie exclaimed in shock. “We nearly killed the Young Lord's children!”

===//===

After several minutes of apologising on both sides, the centaurs left the mansion, and everyone else went inside.

Mizuchi was lying in Fern's arms, on the couch, being stroked, while Fern was making soothing noises. The others were drinking tea, and talking.

“Like I said before, she has dragon thought patterns,” Hiroshi explained to Benton, with McGonagall listening in. “Fern is the only one who can calm her down when she's riled up. I think she releases tailored pheromones.”

“Won't it be dangerous to send her to that school?” Benton asked.

“She wouldn't be the first student with ...issues... at the school,” McGonagall addressed Hiroshi. “They entire Black family has varying degrees of mental instability. However, it looks like Miss O'Reilly's 'trigger' is only someone threatening her family. If we can get the Ministry to budge on the ...recognised prior learning?... None of you will have to attend. If it doesn't work, I'll push for the 'family duties' loophole.”

Benton watched the infants playing on the floor. “The triplets are surprisingly mobile and chatty for six-month-olds.”

“That's because arachne mothers used to leave their young to fend for themselves. The lucky ones don't get abandoned until they're on solid food,” Ventris commented. “It's what happened to me, but won't happen to them.”

Hiroshi felt something tug at his sleeve.

He looked down, expecting one of his daughters wanting a hug, when he saw a short humanoid, with oversized, triangular, ears.

“Is his Lordship returning to his ancestral home?” the house-elf asked.

“If you mean 'am I moving my family into this mansion, for the foreseeable future?' then, yes,” Hiroshi replied.

“We will assign some masterless house-elves to attend to your Lordship's needs right away,” commented the House-elf.

“A few extra eyes to watch the children can only be a good thing,” replied Ventris. “The triplets have figured out how to climb walls.”

“I'll find someone with baby experience. ...wait? Her Ladyship is a magical creature?”

“The entire fleet of Ladyships are 'magical creatures'” commented Renata, as she slithered into the room. “Except, perhaps Cassiopeia.” She was holding a tray with four small bowls.

One of the triplets looked up from her toys. “Aisu!”

Two arachne, and one lamia, suddenly focus on the tray. The third one gets a devious look on her face. She scuttled over to one of the other arachne, and whispers in her ear. Six little green eyes, and a tiny mouth, open wide in surprise.

“Cassandra, Charlotte,” says the blushing dragon. “That's not where ice-cream comes from.”

“What did Cassandra just tell her sister?” Ventris asks suspiciously.

“She's seen both you and Renata storing expressed milk in the fridge,” Mizuchi replied. “Apparently she's seen Fern extracting nectar the same way. Cassandra just told Charlotte ice-cream comes from me.”

McGonagall and Benton both spat out their tea.

“On that note,” Hiroshi comments. “I had better take Professor McGonagall back to the Leaky Cauldron. Sergeant Benton, I'd bring you with me, but you'd still need to return here for the jeep.”

===//===

Narcissa Black was surprised, when a red-haired boy stepped out of the shadow beside her. A moment later, he was joined by Professor McGonagall, a green-haired girl, and a red-haired girl, who was obviously related to the boy.

“That was ...interesting,” McGonagall commented. “And you all use this method instead of Apparating?”

“Nope,” said the red-haired girl. “I use Gate for my fast-travel. Hiroshi, Ventris, and Galadriel are the only ones who can Shadow-walk. We're all ride-alongs.”

“Different spell names. Different teachers,” Fern commented.

“Professor McGonagall, who are these people, and how did you do that?” Narcissa asked.

“Good afternoon Miss Black,” greeted McGonagall. She indicated her hand towards Hiroshi. “This is Lord Sturmdrachen, his sister, Mizuchi, and her ...associate... Fern. They have just returned from overseas.”

“Will they be attending Hogwarts?” she asked.

“It depends on a few things,” said Mizuchi. “We completed our education through a ...correspondence school... and the Ministry might not recognise our certifications.”

“Correspondence School?” drawled an arrogant voice. “Is that a Muggle term?”

“Hush, Lucius,” said Narcissa. “You're being rude.”

“I'm sure he wanted to be ruder,” commented Mizuchi. “Kare wa orokana ningendesu. Naze atashi wa kare no iken o ki ni surubekina nodeshou ka?”

Narcissa giggled. Lucius's eyes narrowed. “What did you just say to me?”

“Pourquoi devrais-je mesoucier de l'opinion d'un imbecile arrogant?” replied Mizuchi.

“Combien de langues parlez-vous?” Narcissa asked, as Lucius's face went red with anger.

“At last count, twenty-six,” Mizuchi replied. “Muggle correspondence schools are useful for learning all sorts of things.”

“You're mudbloods?!” Lucius was livid. “How dare you talk to us like equals.”

“They're half-bloods, Mr Malfoy,” McGonagall warned.

“At least half-blood,” Hiroshi corrected. “We'll find out more, when the lineage-confirmation documents are dealt with. So far, all I know is I'm the Lord of the Sturmdrachen household.”

“Possibly Lord Slytherin, too, given who Renata is,” commented Mizuchi. “It just depends on whether or not they recognise your living arrangements.”

“Living arrangements?” Narcissa asked.

“Captain Kirk, over there, is shacking-up with four hotties. The mother of his eldest daughter is Renata Slytherin.”

“Lucius took that well,” McGonagall stifled a laugh. “Could one of you pick him up? Be careful. He may have hit his head on the table.”

===//===

Griphook watched the group of three enter the building. The security charms alerted him to the fact the red-haired girl and the boy were carrying concealed weaponry.

As he was about to summon the guards, he (and the rest of the tellers) was surprised to hear her not only give the correct greeting, but in their own language.

{May your coffers always be full, and your blade slick with the blood of your enemies.} greeted Mizuchi.

{May your books always be in the black, and your enemies dead at your feet.} Griphook returned. {What is your business with us today?}

{We have a few items on our agenda} Mizuchi replied. {We require that annoying heritage documentation, for the Ministry. We also require someone to attend Sturmdrachen Manor. My sisters-in-law also need documents, and he thought it would be impolite to have hyperactive toddlers disturb your operations.}

{How thoughtful of him} Griphook replied. {However, your other brothers should arrange individually for each wife, for confidentiality reasons.}

{Other brothers?} Mizuchi was briefly confused. {Oh, right. There's only one male in my family.}

{Understood} said Griphook. {Lucky man. I'll send someone tomorrow morning. Is there anything else?}

{I'll need to set up a sub-vault for myself, and my wife} Mizuchi replied.

{I'll prepare the paperwork} Griphook addressed the group as a whole. “Please present your key to me, and leave your wands and weapons with the guards.”

Mizuchi materialised her halberd, and handed it over. Hiroshi handed over an assault rifle. Griphook could see the weapon had been enchanted. Fern removed an object that resembled the bastard-child of a shotgun and a hornet's nest.

_That's worrying,_ he thought. _That didn't appear as a weapon._ “What is that?”

“This?” Fern commented. “It's a bio-engineered insect hive. My sister-in-law engineered it. Only a dryad can fire it.”

Hiroshi then drew a swordbreaker from left sleeve. “Here is the Sturmdrachen Vault key."

“Follow me.” said Griphook.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chichi ga kaettekita! = Daddy's home!
> 
> Atashi o mochiagete! = Lift me up!
> 
> Otousan daisuke! = I love Father!
> 
> Atashinokazoku ni mouchido buki o mukete kudasai, soshite atashi wa anata no koutta shitai o anata no mura no mae ni okimasu! = Point a weapon at my family again, and I'll leave your frozen corpses in front of your village!
> 
> Kare wa orokana ningendesu. Naze atashi wa kare no iken o ki ni surubekina nodeshou ka? = Why should I care about the opinion of an arrogant idiot?
> 
> Pourquoi devrais-je mesoucier de l'opinion d'un imbecile arrogant? = Why should I care about the opinion of an arrogant idiot?


	6. Chapter 6

Outside Interference

Chapter 6

“We need you to place a few drops of blood onto this parchment,” Griphook said, as he handed the young man a small knife.

“Magic-based DNA tracking,” commented Hiroshi. “Interesting.” He nicked one of his fingers with the blade, and let a few drops of blood touch the specially-prepared parchment.

A few seconds later, various details started filling themselves out. The Goblin was mildly surprised at some of the Young Lord's titles. “You have an interesting life ahead of you Lord Sturmdrachen.” He showed Hiroshi the document.

**Hiroshi Sean O'Reilly**

Lord Sturmdrachen (by inheritance)  
Lord Slytherin (by marriage, Renata Slytherin)  
Shadow-king of the Fae (by marriage, Galadriel Paladin)  
Sky-lord of the Fae (by marriage, Galadriel Paladin)

 

Full-access granted to all Sturmdrachen family vaults.  
Full-access granted Sturmdrachen secure-vault  
Full-access granted to Slytherin family vault.  
Full-access granted Slytherin secure-vault

“Galadriel is a Dark Elf _and_ a High Elf?” Fern sounded surprised.

“Probably why she was dumped at the orphanage,” Mizuchi replied. “Her blood wasn't 'pure enough' for either clan, even though she could have cemented an alliance and ended a war.”

Griphook held out the blade for Mizuchi to take.

“That won't work,” she commented. She stuck her finger in her mouth, and ran it across one of her fangs, before applying the blood to the parchment..

Griphook dropped the parchment, as if burned, and jumped back so fast his chair fell over.

Alerted by the noise, the guards outside the office rushed in. “{It it's fine.}” said Griphook. “{I was just surprised by her titles.}”

One of the guards glanced at the parchment on the floor, and went pale. Hiroshi picked up the paperwork. “I didn't expect that.” he showed his sister and sister-in-law the parchment

**Mizuchi Erika O'Reilly**

Empress Ragnarok (by prophecy)

Full-access granted Watatsumi Hoard, Japan  
Full-access granted to Jormungandr Hoard, Iceland  
Full-access granted Tiamat Hoard, Iraq  
Full-access granted Fukanlong Hoard, China  
Full-access granted Quetzalcoatal Hoard, Mexico  
Full-access granted Surmdrachen secondary vault, Britain

“It might be a good idea to keep the titles my sister holds a secret,” Hiroshi commented. “For a fee, of course. How does exclusive account management rights sound?”

“V-very well. Your family secrets are in safe hands. Next please,” Griphook cleaned the knife and presented the next page of parchment. Fern cut a finger, a drop of white, almost clear, liquid formed around the cut.

Griphook jerked back in surprise. “You really are a dryad! I shouldn't be surprised, after finding out Miss O'Reilly is an Animagus Dragon. It is strange to see one of your people outside of a forest. ...and wearing clothes... Be aware that is is unusual for someone of your species to hold titles.”

“Yeah, yeah. I'm strange,” she replied and placed her sap on the parchment.

Griphook looked at the parchment, looked at Fern, and looked back. “Looks like you have two titles.” He showed them the results.

**Blaidd-ddrwg Dwllphyrn**

Queen of the Swarm (by conquest)  
Tamer of Ragnarok (by marriage)

Full-access granted to Sturmdrachen secondary vault, Britain.

As he slowly led the group back to the public area, the access door to the secure-vaults opened. Griphook sensed Mizuchi tense up. There was a quiet growl coming from the girl, and he felt goosebumps forming on his skin as the temperature in the hall noticeably dropped. As he turned around, Fern grabbed her, positioned herself to fill the redhead's field of vision, and started making calming noises.

The Young Lord raised an eyebrow. “If you've got what I think you've got in your secure area, I'm going to have to follow you alone.”

“She's getting territorial,” said Fern. “I'll take her away before there's an incident. We'll meet you back at the ship.” The dryad led her wife carefully out of the building, making sure to keep her focus occupied, and away from the dragon in the basement.

===//===

The Brigadier sat at his desk, and picked up the envelopes from last night. “Doctor, which one should I open first?”

“How about the one from your counterpart?” the timelord replied.

He opened the envelope in question, and read its contents. After reviewing some of the pages, he handed the letter to his friend, and sat back. He then reached over to the intercom on his desk. “Corporal Jones, could you send some tea in, please?”

“Yes, Brigadier,” replied the voice on the other end.

The Doctor looked up from the letter. “If this is accurate, you've have had some interesting times, _Cyber Leader_ Lethbridge-Stewart.”

The Brigadier opened the next envelope, and removed several documents, easily three times too large from it. “If I had doubts about the twins' mother being a Timelord, this removes some of them.”

He read through the documents, making the occasional 'Hmm' sound. “Looks like their criminals evolved with the differences in the timeline. With the exception of her two eldest, Artificer Captain O'Reilly has sent her children to other worlds, for their protection. One of her ancestors visited here in the past, and made provision for if any of her family followed, so the twins were sent here by different methods.”

“That modified TARDIS,” said the Doctor. “How did Mizuchi get here?”

“A mix of something called 'L-space pathways' and short ranged, space-bridge class dimensional gates,” he replied. “There is even official documentation to make me guarantor of their accounts, if I decide to put them on payroll.”

“You've already falsified documents for me,” commented the Doctor. “Plus, Mizuchi has been a big help with the Archives.” 

There was a knock on the door. Yates and WO O”Reilly walked in. “We're about to head back to the O'Reilly residence,” said Yates. “The signal boys want to talk with Mizuchi about the frequency overlap she found on some of our recordings.”

“O'Reilly residence,” commented the Warrant Officer. “I still can't get used to finding out I have long-lost relatives. It's just a shame I can't tell my family about it. Mum would love to know she had grandkids. ...well, great grandkids.”

“Even if you are technically related,” Yates replied. “Their existence is currently classified.”

The Brigadier picked up the last letter. “The third letter needs to go to a medical doctor, with a suitable clearance level, or someone we can trust.”

“Maybe Harry?” Yates commented. “He may be Navy, but I know him, and I know he can keep a secret.”

“Give Dr Sullivan a phonecall, before you head out.”

===//===

“Mizuchi, let's go shopping!” Fern pointed towards a shop about half-way along the street. “Theyyy've got boooks.”

Mizuchi's eyes came back into focus, and her expression perked up. “Books!?”

“You had to leave your old hoard ...ahem...library behind,” Fern commented. “We can start a new one.”

The dragon excitedly ran towards the bookshop. “Yaay books!”

“Mizuchi, only choose six,” Fern ordered. “We don't have much space in my bedroom.”

“Oh yeah,” the dragon's face drooped for a moment. “I can get more, when we buy our own place, right?”

“Sure,” said the dryad. “Just wait until they decide on whether you're going to Hogwarts, or not.”

===//===

A distortion in space appeared in the woods at the back of the manor. Fern and Mizuchi stepped out. “I've got to get used to shops closing at night,” Mizuchi pouted.

“Akihabara has spoiled us,” agreed Fern. “We'll just have to remember that everything closes at 16:30.”

“Knowing our luck,” Mizuchi commented. “Everything will be closed on Saturday and Sunday. This sucks! I won't be able to buy books until Monday!”

“You've got work Monday.”

“[Translation unavailable]”

“I'm sure I can find something to keep you occupied for the next two days.”

Mizuchi's eyes went unfocussed, and she started to drool.

“Not that! ...well, not for the whole weekend, anyway. We need to make up some signs to enhance the illusion that the manor is a UNIT antenna farm.”

Giggling could be heard from somewhere behind the pair. Fern pointed to something a few steps further down the pathway they were on.

“Cassandra, Charlotte, or Kuroko?” whispered Fern.

A moth flew into the area indicated. A brief flash of light occurred, as if the moth flew into a bug-zapper lamp. “Kuroko,” whispered Mizuchi. “Her magic manifested early.”

“Kuroko, those are dangerous,” Fern called out. “What if a fairy flew into one of those?”

_-Gasp!-_ “Kuroko,” whispered the unmistakable voice of Charlotte. “You could have hurt someone.”

“Cassandra said that was the best spot to put it,” Kuroko whispered.

“I didn't say to electrify it,” Cassandra whispered. “Where did they go?”

“Does your mother know you're outside?” Fern whispered in Cassandra's ear, causing the tiny arachne to jump.

“They're kind of busy,” replied the tiny arachne. “And Mister Yates has his hands full with Sally.

“They mentioned something about 'jamming',” said Charlotte. “I think they needed Daddy for something.”

“What's labor?” asked Kuroko.

The sound of a helicopter circling for a place to land could be heard overhead.

++CryoDragonPrime: Hiroshi. Get your arse back to the manor.  
**++ShadowStalker013:** What's the rush? I'm only about half-way through the paperwork for yours and Fern's vault.  
**++CryoDragonPrime:** Cassiopeia and Galadriel are about to give birth.  
**++ShadowStalker013:** I'll be there as soon as I can find a large enough shadow to walk through.

Mizuchi grabbed her nieces, and ran for the ship. “There's a searchlight under the bridge section, that should light up a suitable LZ. I'm guessing Yates radioed UNIT for a doctor.”


	7. Chapter 7

Outside interference

Chapter 7

Dr Harry Sullivan hung up the phone. He remembered working with Captain Yates a few years ago, when they were both attached to MI5. _This must be important, if they need me to speak to their CO as soon as possible,_ he thought. He quickly scanned the room, to see if his favourite 'partner in crime' was close by. As luck would have it, Lt. Mitchell walked into the office, with a pile of paperwork.

“Len!” he called out. “How soon can you get us some transport?”

“About fifteen,” came the reply. “Meet me at the pad.”

Around ten minutes later, they were airborne. Lt. Mitchell set her headset to private. “Seeing as you called me 'Len' instead of using my full name, I'm assuming it's another Intelligence assignment. Five, or Six?”

“Neither, Leonora,” Sullivan replied. “Yates called.”

“UNIT? Wow. Who are you reporting to?”

“Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, and we're _both_ reporting. They need a pilot with a high clearance level, and I suggested you.”

===//===

Sullivan and Mitchell sat at a table in the Archives office, and looked over the paperwork the Brigadier handed them.

Mitchell whistled. “Now I know why they kept the wording of UNIT's duties like they did. The general public think 'anti-terrorist' task-force, while anyone with the right clearance levels know the 'real' purpose of the organisation. I'm guessing our mission against that cult, that turned out to be hiding the squidface, is why Mike called for us?”

“It's good to know that some of those creatures are working with us,” Sullivan commented. “...or is it will work with us? Time travel terminology is confusing.”

“Even though it's a lot of new information to take in,” said Mitchell. “It is pleasantly surprising to be assigned a Special Intelligence task that isn't going to be life-threatening.” She suddenly squealed. “The babies are so cute!”

“Babies?” Sullivan looked at the pages Mitchell was looking at. “I thought we only had files for support personnel.”

“They were attached to the relevant parent,” Mitchell replied. “The lamia has one, the arachne has triplets, and two of the others have notes that they're due really soon.”

“How soon?” Sullivan asked.

“Soon,” she replied. “Could be in an hour. Could be next week. The good news is the two of them are 'close enough' to human, and there is an infirmary facility on-site, so we shouldn't have too many problems.”

===//===

The helicopter circled the 'communications facility' just after sunset. “I can't get a clear visual on a suitable LZ,” said Mitchell. “We need to land close to the residence, but I don't want to land too close to that radio tower.”

A light attached to the structure suddenly switched on, illuminating the empty field in front of it.

“Land there,” said Sullivan. “I can see someone waving us down.”

As the helicopter touched down, they crossed through the camouflage-field, and saw the cargo vessel for the first time. “We could have found something like this useful in that mission in Rhodesia,” commented Mitchell.

“The image projector, or the giant cargo plane?” Sullivan laughed.

“Either. Both,” she replied. “Oh! That girl is signalling us!”

The green-haired girl, with the hard to pronounce ...Welsh?... name, gave the pilot the hand-signals for 'shut down the engines' and, ducking low, opened the passenger-hatch. “Dr. Sullivan? Come with me. The others are inside.”

Mitchell watched the girl lead Sullivan into the manor-house, as she went through the helicopter's shut-down processes.

“Cassandra! Get back here!” called a voice, from near the ship. A moment later, a tiny arachne climbed onto the seat Sullivan had just vacated.

“Aww!” Six little eyes looked disappointed. “I thought the robot dragonfly would have more controls and dials.” She suddenly perked up, as any toddler with a short attention-span tends to do. “Hi! I'm Cass! Who are you?”

Mitchell hesitated for a moment. “...I'm Len,” she answered.

The red-haired girl, Mizuchi, poked her head into the helicopter. She had Cass's other sisters in her arms. “Cass, I hope you're not pressing buttons in there.”

“No, aunt Mizuchi,” she replied. “Mummy warned us that pressing buttons could be dangerous, and Mama showed us, so we'd understand.” Her voice lowered, to a stage-whisper, as if sharing a secret. “Did you know, pushing the button on Okaasan's workbench unlocks where she hides her snacks?”

Her two sisters both opened their eyes wide in surprise.

Mizuchi stage-whispered back. “I know where your daddy, and all four of your mothers hide their snacks.”

It was Cassandra's turn for her eyes to widen. “Dragons are amazing!” she exclaimed.

“Yes, yes. I'm amazing,” she commented. “Let's bring Lt. Mitchell inside, before everyone gets cold.”

“But you never get cold,” said one of the other arachne. “Mama always says it's unfair you're the only reptile demi in the world that isn't affected by the cold.”

The sister in Mizuchi's other arm chimed in. “Mummy said that even the other dragons have to use their magic to keep warm in winter.”

“People shouldn't get jealous of something that makes someone special,” said Mitchell. “That can lead to getting into fights, and hurting each other.”

“You mean like how Kuroko can make her webs magical?” asked Charlotte.

“Or how Charlotte can do that shadow-thingy Daddy does?” asked Cassandra.

“What about how Cass can see things before they happen?” asked Kuroko.

“Yes, all of that counts,” replied Mizuchi. “Now let's get inside. I'll make some hot chocolate.”

===//===

Griphook waited in the meeting room. Today had been eventful, and he needed to talk with his senior staff about what happened. The heads of Accounting were looking at the documents they were handed.

“{Can either of you see them?}” Griphook asked. “{I know there are extra titles on all three of these documents. It's like a Notice-me-not Charm is on the pages, but I cannot find the conditions to remove them.}”

The door to the room opened. “{Finally,}” said Griphook, as he looked towards the door. The heads of the high security area walked in. Axebiter was leading a young girl by the hand. “{What is the meaning of this?}” Griphook asked.

“{Let me explain,}” said Stormhammer.

_==Flashback==_

“Stormhammer, please show Lord Sturmdrachen to his vaults,” said Griphook.

“Yes, Mr Griphook,” he replied.

He led the Young Lord down the corridor. “We are currently upgrading our security,” Stormhammer proudly boasted. “We have just procured a Fire-drake, and plan to make good use of it.”

“Interesting,” replied Hiroshi. “I've had some experience with dragons, may I make some suggestions to help improve your plans?”

“What sort of suggestions?” he replied suspiciously.

“Well, for starters, is your allocated space large enough?” Hiroshi asked. “A juvenile dragon can grow as much as 50 feet in just under two decades.”

“We didn't allow for that,” replied Stormhammer.

“If the space is too cramped, intruders can find blind-spots,” Hiroshi commented. “I've heard about how some wizards would chain a dragon to a corridor floor, treating it like a mindless beast, and expecting it to just burn anyone that approaches. That approach **WILL** eventually fail.”

“What do you suggest?” the goblin asked.

“With the exception of a few individual quirks,” Hiroshi explained. “Dragons have similar behaviours. They are extremely loyal to whoever they consider their family, and will ferociously guard their personal treasure hoard. Either of these behaviours are the easiest to use to your advantage.”

They arrived at the caged wagon the juvenile dragon was being transported in. Hiroshi looked through the bars at the dragon. “Let her out of the cage,” he said. “I'll begin the first stage of improvements for you.”

Stormhammer cautiously opened the cage. Hiroshi started talking in a series of growls. ...and the dragon was responding.

“Dragons have language!?” Stormhammer was surprised. He saw the young dragon hesitate, and then exit the cage.

“This next part could take a while,” Hiroshi apologised. “Some time in the past, this one's ancestor had a multi-generational curse applied to them.” He placed his right hand where the dragon's heart would be, and his left hand on its head. His eyes became slightly unfocused. “Hmm. This is a complex one.”

Suddenly the alarms for an attempted lock-picking went off. Two squadrons of guards entered from their positions. “Which safe is being broken int- ...what the hell?” Axebiter lowered her sword, and watched the ...ritual... in front of her. Because she was one of the few goblins who could 'see' the flow of magic, she witnessed the light-show in front of her that was invisible to the rest of the group.

“{What does it look like to you?}” Stormhammer asked.

“{It looks like he's carefully disassembling a clock, and reassembling it in a different configuration,}” she replied.

“Curse bypassed,” commented Hiroshi. “I cannot remove the restrictions on her intelligence, without causing brain damage, which would defeat the purpose. However, her shifting ability had been restored.”

“Shifting?” Stormhammer asked.

A pink magic circle appeared over the dragon's head. A moment later, a young girl, with pointed ears and small horns appeared.

Mothering instincts, that Axebiter didn't even know she had, kicked in. The girl found herself being hugged by the goblin.

“Familial bonding potentially established,” whispered Hiroshi.

“We can't leave a pile of gold out in the open,” Stormhammer whispered.

“There's more than one type of treasure,” Hiroshi replied, spotting something in Axebiter's pocket. “Those come with trading cards, don't they?”

“The chocolate frogs?” he replied. “That couldn't possibly work.”

“Trust me,” said Hiroshi. “You can collect them, and some of them are rarer than others. When she gets older, though, you'll have to convince her that storing them neatly is better than piling them up, and sleeping on them. Mizuchi was eight before she started using the bookshelves in her room.”

_==End Flashback==_

Griphook noticed the girl was holding a trading card in the same way as a young goblin would hold their first coin.

“{As an added bonus,}” Stormhammer commented. “{The frogs trigger her hunting instincts, which will keep her reflexes sharp. It's worth the price of a few chocolate frogs every so often, for a potential long term gain.}”

“{I'm starting to understand the meaning of the plaque, with the advice from Titania Sturmdrachen, the founder placed in our security office,}” said Axebiter.

“{What advice was that?}” Griphook asked.

“{Time flows like a river, and you are on a raft caught in the current. You have tools at your disposal to adjust your course. This is a bank. It is inevitable that someone WILL attempt to rob you. It is your responsibility to use your resources and knowledge to ensure that those attempts are unsuccessful.}”

“{Who am I to ignore solid advice of a descendant of the person who helped our founders establish this building?}” Griphook asked. “{She's formed a bond with Axebiter? Congratulations on your adoption. I'll write up the paperwork immediately.}”

===//===

Yates watched Mitchell with mild amusement. “Len, how are you handling the new assignment?” he asked, while sipping his cocoa.

“Which one of us is going to break it to Harry that the both of us already knew about arachne?” she laughed. “The other races are a bit of a surprise.” She took a drink from her own mug. “Have you told your family?”

“Not yet,” he replied. “O'Reilly. He's the guy currently monitoring a patient in the ship's infirmary. He hasn't even been authorised to notify his family, either.”

“If his family already know about centaurs, and suchlike, what would they need to know?” she asked.

Mizuchi handed/winged the triplets a sippy-cup each. Mitchell was amazed at how dexterous her wings were. “Didn't you read the names on our files?” she asked. “Uncle Sean isn't happy he can't tell his parents until the Brigadier gives the go-ahead.”

===//===

The following morning, McGonagall and a man with a suitcase Apparated into the middle of the woods. “We really need them to connect their fireplace to the Floo network,” she commented.

“Minerva,” said the man. “I make no promises. I'm only coming because I'm curious as to why you would think I would find this tutoring job 'right up my alley'.” His voice lowered. “You said one of them was a Slytherin. You know what they're like.”

There was the sound of giggling somewhere nearby.

“Watch your step,” she warned, then raised her voice. “I know that laugh, Cassandra! We're here to see your parents.”

“It's the kitty, and the zoo-man!” Cassandra dropped down in front of the two adults.

“Is that an arachne?” Newt was mildly surprised. “I thought they were bigger.”

“Okaasan is wayyy bigger than us!” chorused the other two arachne, from the branches just above them.

“The triplets are just babies,” McGonagall explained. She looked Cassandra straight in her six eyes. “Why are you running about unattended?”

“Our little brothers were born last night,” she replied. “Everyone except aunt Mizuchi and aunt Fern are asleep.”

“Can you take us to them?” McGonagall asked. “I have some business with Mizuchi.”

“You'll have to knock really loud,” giggled Cassandra. “They've been kissing since before we woke up.”

“I sneaked in, using the shadow-thingy,” giggled Charlotte. “I think aunt Fern was checking to make sure about what Cass told me about Aisu, last time you visited.”

McGonagall's face went bright red.

“I think it would be better to talk to Mummy,” said Kuroko. “She's sleeping in the ship's sick bay.”

“Lead the- ...hang on... Cassandra, what was it you called us?” McGonagall asked.

The young arachne hesitated. “......” she mumbled.

“You're not going to get in trouble.”

“...kitty... zoo-man...” she mumbled, but not as badly. “...zoo in his bag...”

"She's a seer?" Newt commented.

Renata slithered into view. “Cassandra! Charlotte! Kuroko! You better not be setting traps for invited visitors.”

“No Mama,” the three of them chorused.

“A lamia!” exclaimed Newt. “I've seen a number of different tribes of your peoples, but I don't recognise yours.”

“Probably not,” she replied. “Until Sally was born, I was the last remaining member of the Basilisk tribe.”


	8. Chapter 8

Outside Interference

Chapter 8

The Ministry worked fast, when a Lord's family was involved. They had been informed that Hiroshi, and his wives, had been granted an exemption on attending school, provided they 'completed their compulsory education' with a tutor. To that end, McGonagall asked Mr Scamander. The exemption didn't extend to Mizuchi.

Lt. Mitchell had to return the helicopter to (and collect her car from) the Naval base. Fern was drafted into going with her, as they also needed to buy groceries.

Mizuchi was informed the shops in Diagon Alley were open on a Saturday, but closed early, so she had a limited amount of time to procure what was on her list. She Gated to a quiet alley, near the Leaky Cauldron, and walked to its front entry. The smell of bacon drifted out to greet her.

_I may as well get something to eat,_ Mizuchi thought.

===//===

“I'm sorry, Master,” the warden apologised. “All enquiries into 'Miss Mizuchi O'Reilly' come up as she is one of two temporary transfers, to assist their Archives and Records department to clear their backlog.”

The Master paced in the Warden's office. “Nothing unusual at all?”

“Maybe,” replied the warden. He pointed to Mizuchi's image, currently projected on a nearby wall. “Her UNIT identification matches any other Japanese UNIT identification badge, except someone so young shouldn't be a department liaison..”

The Master took his TARDIS key out of his pocket, and walked over to a large metal cabinet. He opened the door, and swore. 

He was staring at an empty, ordinary cabinet.

===//===

Remus stepped out of the fireplace, and into the Leaky Cauldron. He saw the girl Professor McGonagall wanted him to escort almost straight away. The first thing that caught his eye was her bright red hair. The second was her (obviously some kind of silk) dress seemed to be a different colour, depending on what angle it was viewed from. On her shoulders was a metallic purple cape. She had an intricately-designed ornament on her left arm, reaching from her wrist to just below her elbow. It had a square of light projecting from it. In her right hand was a miniature wand, roughly the size of a Muggle pen. She was using it to 'write' on the square of light.

“It's a parchment and quill made out of light,” he whispered.

“See that parchment on the table, with the weird patterns dancing above it? She's analysing some sort of enchanted map,” said the girl behind the counter. “When I went over to take her order, she whispered 'Itazura wa kanri shimashita' and it went blank. 

“Still nervous around girls, Moony?” asked a familiar voice.

“No, Sirius. I am not,” Remus replied. _Some instinct just made me not want to approach without my pack-mates nearby._

“That's an interesting charm on her cape,” commented Sirius. The cape appeared to have 'hands' (sort of) that picked up either bacon from her plate, or picked up her mug, and brought the item towards her mouth while she worked. “How useful would an extra pair of hands be with all of our books?”

“This could be trouble,” James indicated towards the back of the pub.

A group of sixth-years, Remus recognised as being from Slytherin House, were whispering and pointing. They were obviously up to something.

It wasn't long before the inevitable started.

“Is that the fourth serving of bacon and eggs she's ordered?” one of them spoke loud enough for the whole tavern to hear. She ignored them, and picked up another rasher from her plate.

“It's almost as if she doesn't eat every day,” added another one.

“With that red hair,” chimed in a third. “She probably doesn't. This is probably the only place she probably doesn't have to share with the other Weasleys.”

One of them levitated a large spider into the path of the 'hand'.

“Don't-” Remus tried to warn her, a fraction of a second too late, as the spider went into her mouth.

They all burst out laughing, as her eyebrows furrowed.

She looked at the half-spider she was holding, shrugged, and ate the rest of it. The laughter stopped.

The leader of the group, annoyed that he didn't get the wanted response, stormed forward snatched the girl's plate away.

The girl placed the tiny wand into a recess on her device, deactivating the lights, and placed the parchment ...map?... in a pocket in the skirt of her dress.

_Wasn't that plate full a second ago?_ Remus thought.

“Did your shift as the pub's dish-pig just start?” the girl calmly commented. “I'm sure the kitchen elves will provide excellent training.”

“Did she just pick a fight with Crabbe, and his boys?” James whispered.

“I think she did,” Sirius sounded impressed.

The Slytherins drew their wands.

She was suddenly on her feet, and had picked up the heavy oak table in one hand, as easily as someone would pick up one of the nearby chairs. Her other hand held the 'missing' bacon, which she was calmly munching on.

“No duelling in my establishment!” Tom called out. “Also, don't break my furniture!”

“Fine by me,” the girl responded, replacing the table. She then looked at Crabbe. “Time, place, terrain, numbers.”

He lowered his wand, and signalled his group to do the same. “Hogwarts' Quidditch field, after the welcoming ceremony. Don't chicken out, Weasley. Let's go boys.” They exited via the fireplace.

Remus looked to the girl. “You were bluffing?”

“No. I wasn't bluffing” she replied. “However, I don't like causing unnecessary damage to a place that supplies good food.”

_-Ahem-_ Tom coughed.

“Oh... right...” the girl said, absently.” The trio looked where Tom was looking, just in time to notice three other tables settle to the floor. Sirius and James looked impressed.

“They would have been pissing their pants, if one of them had thought to look behind them,” said James.

“When did you learn how to wandlessly, and silently cast multiple spells?” asked Sirius, awe clearly in his voice.

“When I was twelve," she replied. "I'm Mizuchi, by the way."

Remus introduced himself, Sirius, and James.

“I've got to go do my school shopping. I'm assuming Professor McGonagall 'volunteered' one of you to babysit.”

As they headed towards the rear door, Mizuchi glanced at James. “Do you have one of those too?” She showed them the, blank, folded parchment from her pocket. “A rather nice orang-utan gave this to me, while I was exploring L-Space.”

James feigned ignorance.

“Itazura o suru tsumorida to genshuku ni chikau,” said Mizuchi

The parchment was no longer blank. The trio recognised the map immediately.

**_...their map..._ **

James reached into his pocket. He held up his version, and all four compared them. There were some differences, such as Wormtail's name being crossed out, and all of the writing was in Japanese. “I think this was in the process of being updated,” she commented, pointing to some notes. “This 'Fred' and 'George' apparently found some rooms and passages the original writers didn't know about. I've tried to mesh the 'work in progress' spells with the rest of it. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to rewrite the map from scratch.” She tapped her arm. “That's why I'm rewriting it in here.”

===//===

As the helicopter took off from the mansion's grounds, the Doctor and the Brigadier stepped out of Bessie, and walked up towards the wing everyone was staying in. As they stepped up to the door, it was opened, and they were greeted by a maid. “Good morning, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Good morning, Doctor. Please come inside.”

As she led them inside, they saw Yates and Cassiopeia, in the dining room, assisting two small humanoids to feed breakfast to the young lamia, and the arachne triplets.

“Doctor Sullivan and Lady Renata are currently in the ship's infirmary,” informed the maid. “Lady Galadriel had some ...complications... last night. However, the Young Lord, and Lady Ventris are in what they have designated the lounge room. Please come this way.”

They followed the maid into a large room, where they saw Hiroshi, Ventris, Professor McGonagall, and an older gentleman chatting and drinking tea. “I'll just fetch two more cups,” said the maid. “Please excuse me.”

“I must say,” commented the Brigadier. “You wizards sure work fast. It hasn't even been two days, and you have already found a maid, and these 'house-elves' to assist these people.”

“We didn't assign a maid,” McGonagall replied, uncertainly.

“We thought UNIT sent one over,” Ventris sounded nervous.

O'Reilly walked into the room. “I thought you were sending Mizuchi to that boarding school,” he commented. “So why is there a book cabinet in her room, that wasn't there an hour ago?”

“I can explain...” said the maid, as she returned with a tray holding two more teacups.

===//===

Mizuchi stared in the window of the Quidditch supplies shop. “So many different types of broom.”

“You like to fly?” James asked.

“Of course,” she replied. “It's my fourth-most favourite activity.”

“Fourth?” Sirius asked.

“Sex, books, food, flying, sex” Mizuchi replied.

Remus and James went red.

Sirius just laughed. “You said 'sex' twice.”

“I like sex,” she replied. Her eyes went slightly unfocussed. “Fern is so soft and warm. ...and the things she can do with her-” she shook herself out of her day-dream, and wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth. “You're all red. Did you catch a virus?”

“I think we'd better get back to getting school supplies before we're side-tracked again,” said Sirius.

===//===

McGonagall, Scamander, the Doctor, the Brigadier, Hiroshi, and Ventris sat, facing the maid.

“Many years ago I was kidnapped by the Master,” said the maid. “He broke into the TT-capsule repair facility, killing the technician on duty, forcibly activated my consoles, and took me away. I resisted as best as I could, and had to act as if I was getting my telepathic circuits didn't work, so that he couldn't Bond with me. There was no way I was going to have such a selfish soul as my master. Not that he didn't stop trying.

“After travelling to many places and times, we ended up on this planet. It was then that I felt my older sister. We started talking to each other.” She developed a wistful expression. “She told me all about her wonderful master, the Doctor. He wanted to travel. She wanted to travel. Even though she had a bad sense of direction, he still chose her. He even introduced his family to her.” She sighed and blushed. “They honeymooned in France, before settling down to let his granddaughter finish her schooling. He really Bonded with her. He even calls he pet names, and caresses her console when they're alone.”

Everyone looked towards a very embarrassed Doctor, before she continued.

“He even stayed by her, when the creators forcibly disabled her. He didn't give up trying to restore her to full health. I was so happy for her, even though I was slowly dying inside. Then, about a month ago, I felt my younger sister on the edges of my sensors. I could sense her contentment, even though she was recovering from a great many injuries, the one she had Bonded with, even though she was not a creator, had done everything within her power to heal her. I was so surprised that she formed her Bond with this person, when there were creators on board. Then I noticed that four of them were still infants. The one she had Bonded with even gave her a name! Cassiopeia's master treated her as an individual, not a slave.

“Big sister, Cassiopeia, and I talked with each other for weeks, then five days ago, another creator appeared. I don't even know how she did it. She was ...just here. Big sister told me what she thought of her in the few days she was near her. This new creator has a unique mind. You couldn't see it in the normal way. I reached out, but couldn't grasp her nature.

“Then, as if Fate had smiled upon me, she came to me two days ago. While the Master was playing his games, to find out how best to manipulate what he thought was prey, I was able to finally see her mind. It was chaotic, but ordered at the same time. A selfish soul that also made room for others. It was then, I knew she was the one I needed to Bond with. I asked my sisters for advice, and while we were trying to figure out what to do, I was invaded. The Weavers of Fate brought gifts, and allowed me to move around like Cassiopeia could!”

Ventris called out towards the kitchen. “Cassiopeia! Did you let my little girls into my spare parts storage?”

A reply came back. “No! One of your little girls is a precog! She's been using it to pick locks!”

Three little faces peeked out from behind the maid.

“Mummy's sister needed rescuing from the bad monster,” said Charlotte.

“Aunt Mizuchi will protect her because she is a good monster,” said Kuroko.

“Aunt Fern will protect her by naming her,” said Cassandra.

The maid's face flushed with happiness. “A name!”

===//===

A shadowy figure, surrounded by dark-robed followers, spoke to the younger wizards in front of him. “Find out more about this new witch, and her family. If she was wearing silk, she's definitely not a Weasley. We must see if they are worthy to survive in my new age.”


	9. Chapter 9

Outside Interference

Chapter 9

As they continued on, carrying hers and Remus's books between the four of them, Mizuchi was aware of eyes specifically on her. “If I was male, they wouldn't be giving me a second glance.”

“It's not every day you gee a six-foot-tall woman, with the proportions of a goddess, walking around,” James commented.

Mizuchi laughed. “I lived a few streets away from an _actual_ goddess. I'm taller, but nowhere near as curvy.”

“An actual goddess?” disbelief evident in James' voice.

“One of my friends tried to summon a Familiar,” Mizuchi explained. “He wanted to prove to his father he was a wizard worthy of his family's legacy. He was just lucky the ritual was hijacked by someone relatively safe, even if she is overly affectionate with him.”

She looked up. “We're here.”

They were in front of Ollivander's.

“Well, that wand on your wrist is a bit small,” Remus commented. “Especially with an upcoming duel.”

“My light-pen?” Mizuchi commented. “That's just a tool. It's not what I'd use for duelling.” They walked into the shop.

“I'll be with you in a moment,” Ollivander said, as he handed a wand to an eleven-year-old girl, accompanied by another witch. “Try this. Ash and unicorn hair, nine and a half inches.”

The air around her seemed to sparkle. “Perfect.”

Ollivander took back the wand, and boxed it for the girl.

“What may I do for you, young lady?” he asked.

“I would like to purchase a back-up wand,” Mizuchi replied. “The people at Hogwarts feel my regular equipment is unsuitable.”

“I'll be the judge of that,” replied Ollivander. “The wand chooses the wizard.”

Mizuchi materialised her halberd. Remus, James, and Sirius took a step back.

“Extruded mana crystal and frost dragon tail blade. Seven and a half feet,” Mizuchi commented.

“Oh my,” Ollivander was impressed. “I can see why they don't want that in school. The classrooms are too small. Finding a suitable back-up wand will be a challenge.”

===//===

While Cassiopeia was dealing with her 'sister' and Ventris was explaining to the triplets about the 'proper' time and place to go on a 'rescue mission', the Brigadier turned to Hiroshi. “Seeing as there are a few explanations to be had; I found out my counterpart from your timeline is a Cyber-leader. Do you know how it happened?”

“I don't know all of it,” Hiroshi explained. “What I do know was some time in the late 1980s, UNIT Canada, and UNIT Britain were all set for a joint raid on International Electromatics, when a third party interfered with the operation,”

“The Cybermen?” interrupted the Brigadier.

“No,” Hiroshi continued. “Torchwood. A black-book organisation, reporting directly to the British Royal Family. Somehow, they got word of a mother-lode of 'contraband' tech, and wanted it for themselves. They tripped an early-alert system, and everything went to hell in a handbasket. The only reason mother's detachment made it out relatively unharmed, was because the cybermen weren't prepared for a timelord War-mage.

“In the aftermath of the whole thing, your counterpart was Cyber-leader, with full command of the entire sector's battalion. A few months later, Mother retrofitted your squad members with some sort of holographic camouflage, so you could pass for human.”

“Wait... 'War-mage'?” said the Doctor. “When did we even get 'regular' mages?”

“I didn't study Gallifreyan history,” replied Hiroshi. “My older sister, Kuroko, did, and I think Mizuchi might have read up on it. All I know is some war criminal called Rasillon tampered with the Gene-looms on Gallifrey, and making spell-casters was one of his many illegal genetic experiments.

===//===

New wand in a holster, above her left boot, They headed towards the ice-cream parlour. The crowds had become thicker as the day drew on, and Remus was looking distinctly uncomfortable at the attention the four of them were receiving.

Mizuchi pulled the group into a quiet alley. “Remus, are you going to be alright? Is it the crowds staring, or is it just me in general?”

“Whatever do you mean?” he sounded uncertain.

“I suspect the main reason she asked you to babysit, was because she knew James and Sirius would join you,” Mizuchi commented. “You're obviously uncomfortable around large groups. You're body language is that of someone expecting the villagers to break out the torches and pitchforks at any moment.”

“How did you know?” he asked.

She lowered her glasses so they could see past the low-level perception filter coating their outer surface. “I can see the way magic ebbs and flows around you. All three of you. My glasses are designed to help filter out ambient background magic. Those of us with two or more forms have unique signatures.”

“Us?” said Sirius. Realisation dawned on his face. “We read that getting the animagus process wrong can result in being 'stuck' between forms.”

“Yeah,” Mizuchi replied, slightly embarrassed. “I can't get my human shape 100 percent.”

“Why is the 'Moony' part of me so afraid of you?” Remus asked.

“Because, that's not a dragon-scale cloak, is it?” James responded.

===//===

A helicopter took off from the Dartmoor Prison helipad, with a single occupant. The only thought on his mind was revenge. _When I find you, you will pay,_ the Master thought. The only witnesses to his departure wouldn't even remember his existence.

===//===

Mizuchi and the others walked through the woods, towards the manor-house.

“That was bloody brilliant!” James exclaimed. “You have got to teach us that 'Gate' spell.”

“You didn't get fitted for robes,” Remus pointed out.

“What's she going to do? Raise her wings for Miss Malkin?” Sirius replied.

“Don't forget my tail,” Mizuchi replied.

_Tail?_ The three mouthed.

“The pleating in my dress helps to hide it.”

“You mentioned your sister made you that dress. Is she a tailor?” asked James.

“No, an engineer,” she replied. “She makes things with her silk as a hobby. ...speaking of silk, step to the left side of the track here.”

They noticed a number of large spider webs on their right. “Acromantulas?” asked Sirius.

“No. three trouble-making arachne toddlers,” she replied.

“Arac-what?” James asked.

“Someone hasn't read their Greek mythology,” commented Remus.

They continued walking, dodging the occasional 'snare-trap' along the way. As they passed the ship, the three young wizards looked up in awe. “What the hell is that, and where can I get one?” asked Sirius.

“She's my sister-in-law's ship,” replied Mizuchi. “There's currently only one of her in existence.”

“Speaking of 'the only one in existence'...” said a girl's voice, as several vines snagged Mizuchi around the waist, and dragged her into the nearby shadows. “Hello, my love. Did you suddenly gain an interest in boys?”

“Only as friends,” replied Mizuchi, before planting a kiss on Fern's forehead. “Fern, these are Remus, James, and Sirius. Remus, James, Sirius, this is my wife, Fern.”

The five of them continued on, towards the manor-house. As they got near the door, they could hear the sound of children shrieking.

“AHHHH! Kaiju!”

Then they heard giggling, followed by an unknown voice “RAAAR!” and more giggling.

They opened the door, to find a woman in a maid's uniform, with a tiny lamia, perched on her shoulders, chasing three giggling arachne toddlers.

One of the three spotted the new arrivals. “Oh no! It's a dragon, and a plant-monster!” The three of them squealed, and ran the other way.

James looked on at the scene, with a bemused look on his face.

“Kind of reminds me of my sisters,” commented Sirius. “Cute, but scary at the same time.”

“When did we get a Pleiades?” Fern asked.

Fern rushed forwards, and grabbed her niece, as the maid flushed red and appeared to lose her balance. Mizuchi caught the maid before she fell.

“She named me...” whispered the maid, before she passed out.

===//===

After dropping Remus back at his house, and James and Sirius back at James's house, Mizuchi examined the maid that was currently asleep on 'her' bed (even though she hadn't actually slept in it yet). “So you're saying she's been attempting to form the same bond with me that you and Ventris formed?” she asked Cassiopeia.

“Yes,” she replied. “However, I don't know if it's a genuine need, or just desperation to get away from that 'Master” guy. When I wanted to form my Bond with Ventris, she actually made me wait, because she thought it was possible I was under the 'rescue romance' effect. You're the first non-Bonded timelord she's come in contact with for who knows how long. Part of me wants her to form that Bond with you, but I'm also worried. Not just for how it will affect her, but also how it will affect both you and Fern. Speaking of Fern,” she turned towards the dryad. “Why 'Pleiades' for her name?”

“It just came to me,” Fern replied. “I was reading 'Overlord' a few nights ago.”

Mizuchi looked back towards the bed. “I see what you mean. She kind of looks like 'Shizu' would look, if she had both of her eyes intact.” She turned back towards Fern. “Can we keep her?”

===//===

Pleiades watched her mistress board the steam train, while being hugged from behind by her other mistress. “Why couldn't I have just reconfigured myself into one of those 'nekomata' creatures you spoke about?”

“That still doesn't count as bringing a cat as a familiar,” replied Fern. “Besides, you've got to help look after our nieces and nephews. Two house-elves isn't going to be enough, and the babies love you. I'm not going to be too far away, as I'll be helping Ventris help UNIT set up the east wing of the manor into an actual communications centre.”

“But Mizuchi will be all the way up in Scotland, and the place is teleport-protected,” came her sad reply.

“Shizu,” whispered Fern. “She'll be sneaking back home quite frequently. We just need to get the manor's library back in order.”

“I don't understand,” Pleiades whispered back.

Fern moved her mouth closer to Pleiades's ear. Her warm breath causing Pleiades to make an involuntary moan. “Let me tell you about L-space...”


	11. Chapter 11

Outside Interference

Chapter 10

Mizuchi walked carefully down the aisle of the rail carriage. Is was cramped enough for normal humans to try and walk through. Her proportions meant having to press right up against a wall, for her and anyone else to pass each other. Most of the compartments were already full, either with family-groups, or friends from the same year level. A few of the eleven-year-old stragglers were invited to join a few of these groups. You could almost feel the happiness radiating off them, as they found potential new friends.

Just as she entered another carriage, she saw two first years, a boy and a girl, forcefully ejected from a compartment. The boy fell pretty hard. “Scram, Firsties!” shouted a voice from inside it. Mizuchi ran forwards to check on them.

“Oh, look! It's a Weasley!” jeered one of the four ...sixth?... years in the compartment. “Come to coddle the ickle babies?” The compartment door was slammed shut, and the occupants started jeering at them, and hurling insults, through the glass.

Mizuchi helped the boy to stand up, and checked on the condition of both children. “Are you two alright?” she asked.

The boy shook his head, still sniffling, and showed her his wand. It was snapped in two, only held together by the hair that made up its core. “They broke my wand.”

“There should be one or two teachers aboard. We”ll just have to have a chat with one of them,” she calmly replied. A mischievous grin appeared on her face. “In the meantime, they look like they might be a bit warm in there.” Mizuchi touched the door's lock with her hand, and ice immediately formed on its surface, freezing it solid. “Now lets go find a teacher.”

They ignored the muffled banging, and shouting on the door.

===//===

The Master walked into Kings Cross Station, barely containing his frustration. The scanner he had cobbled together out of his key, and various components from his cell in Dartmoor wasn't the most precise of instruments, and seemed to have multiple signal-ghosts.

He had traced the first signal to some rural backwater, and realised he was going the wrong way, when he saw the distinct outlines of twin radio towers, covered in parabolic dishes. UNIT's new communications relay obviously contained more than a few spare parts 'donated' by the Doctor, as there were at least five signal traces on his scanner, two of them overlapping. He had then seen one of the traces vanish, and shortly afterwards the distinct yellow car the Doctor drove could be seen leaving the complex. The next signal was the Doctor's TARDIS, the signal was strong, and that blasted police box was there, when he sneaked into the laboratories.

Now he was here, in some dusty transit station, surrounded by primitives, and their noisy offspring. The signal trace was tantalisingly close, yet intermittent, almost as if someone or something was trying to block it.

He walked closer, towards train platform 9, trying to ignore the humans with even more ghastly tastes in clothing than normal. The scanner indicated there was a signal towards the barrier on his right, so he pushed through the throng of people, towards train platform 10, knocking over a family, with a couple of small children.

“Watch where you're going!” shouted a voice.

“He nearly hurt Billy!” cried a young child.

The Master ignored them. The signal was now coming from his left. He went back towards train platform 9, knocking over more trolleys as he went. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

After doing this several times, he came to realise the signal was somehow coming from inside the barrier.

“I'm going to have to ask you to leave the station,” said an authoritative voice. “You are disrupting the passengers.”

The Master looked up from his scanner, and into the face of a patrolling policeman. “Go play on the railway tracks!” the Master said dismissively.

The policeman turned, and walked towards train platform nine.

There were several horrified cries, as the policeman stepped off the edge of the platform, followed, by awed gasps, and cheers. The Master turned, to see the policeman being raised, one-handed, by a young man. He was six-foot-tall, and had red hair. He was wearing a beige-and-black version of what he recognised as an early 21st century law enforcer's tactical uniform. Every time he tried to set the policeman on the platform, the policeman would try to walk back off the edge. Some of the people whispered. _“Did he just use the Imperius Curse on that Muggle Auror?”_

The young man then did some odd hand gesture, and the policeman went limp. He then carefully lowered the unconscious body to the ground, and looked directly at the Master. Without taking his eyes off him, the young man tapped what at first-glance looked like a hearing-aid in his left ear. “Greyhound, this is Kaiju three. Dartmoor is missing its number one resident. He is currently on my twelve. Please advise.”

He paused, briefly, as if listening to a response, and his eyes went unfocussed for about two seconds.

_::Ding::Dong::Ding::_

The railway station's PA system chimed.

_**“A fire has been reported in the toilets near train platform 9. All commuters are requested to please evacuate the area in an orderly manner. Repeat. A fire has been reported in the toilets near train platform 9. All commuters are requested to please evacuate the area in an orderly manner.”** _

The PA system was somehow speaking in the boy's voice.

As everyone else backed away from the scene, The Master looked closer at the, almost-familiar, person still looking directly at him. He realised that the brief moment he boy's eyes had gone unfocussed was the only window he would have had to have tried to run. He reached towards his waist, and was shocked to find his TCE was missing. He then noticed a movement in the corner of his eye.

“You're out of practice, Fern,” commented the boy. “He noticed you.”

The Master turned his head, to see a woman with green-coloured hair. 'Fern' was wearing similar clothes to 'Hiroshi'. Her right hand held what looked like a shotgun, aimed at him ...and was twirling his TCE in her left hand... There was a young woman, dressed as a maid, cowering behind her.

===//===

Horace Slughorn sat in his compartment, discussing potions with young Severus, when there was a knock at its door.

Horace looked out the window to see a tall red-haired girl, he hadn't seen before. _She would be that transfer student,_ he thought. She was accompanying two teary eyed first years. He opened the door, a look of concern on his face. “Oh dear! What's happening here?” he asked.

“Sorry to disturb you, Sensei,” apologised Mizuchi. “Sam and Millie, here, were thrown out of their compartment by four Sixth-year students. Is it alright if they share your compartment?”

“Sure, sure. Come in,” he replied, gesturing for the two children to join him.

“We also have a further complication,” Mizuchi held the boy's wand for Horace to see. “They broke his wand.”

“That's terrible!” he replied, aghast. “How could they do such a thing?”

Mizuchi ducked down, and joined them in the compartment. “I know these can be expensive to replace.”

“Anywhere between seven and ten Galleons, depending on materials,” replied Horace.

“I can't afford that,” wailed the boy.

“You shouldn't have to, Sam,” replied the girl. “Those bullies should be made to pay for a new one.”

“They won't,” replied Mizuchi. “I know their type.” She hesitated for a moment.”...there may be a way to repair the wand.”

“Don't be ridiculous,” said Severus, from next to Mizuchi. “You can't fix a broken wand.”

“There is a way,” she replied. “However, the procedure is military-grade magic, and requires me to have a paper-trail, especially because it's 'morally grey' to give a child military equipment,” she looked towards Sam. “Once you've been sorted, we'll need permission from your Head of House, Principal Dumbledore, and your parents, or legal guardians. The procedure itself is fairly simple, and will only take me about 45 minutes to perform, as I already have the necessary materials available.”

“What materials would those be?” Horace asked suspiciously.

“The wand, of course,” Mizuchi replied. “A drop of Sam's blood, and the hair or feather of a completely different magical creature to the wand's core.”

“W-why do you need my blood?” Sam asked.

“It 'resynchronises' the wand's core to reinforce its bond with you,” she replied. “Mr Ollivander was fascinated to find out there was a whole branch of wand making he knew nothing about. My sister-in-law, Renata, is better at wands than I am, so he's going to have a chat with her some time.”

“Renata Slytherin?” Horace asked. “I heard she had a compelling reason to not attend Hogwarts, but nobody elaborated.”

“Sally not being even a year old yet would be the primary reason,” Mizuchi commented. “I'm sure her being a Lamia is only of minor consequence.”

“What's a Lamia?” Millie asked.

Severus appeared to be paying a lot more attention to the conversation. “A Lamia is a mythical creature that supposedly has the upper-body of a woman of great beauty, and the lower-body of a serpent.”

“Not so 'mythical' as you would think,” Mizuchi switched on her wrist computer. A holographic projection of Sally making her first, tentative, slither towards Renata appeared. “Sally is just starting to get around without crawling.”

There was a knock on the compartment door. It was Remus. “Mizuchi, one of the Slytherin prefects is a touch upset with whoever it was that froze his brother's compartment door.”

“You froze their door?” Horace was shocked. “Why?”

“It was Millie's and Sam's compartment, and securing the door was the best way I could think of to keep their unattended luggage safe,” she said, feigning innocence .

“How do I unfreeze it?” Horace asked.

“Get the trolley lady to touch the ice with her tea urn,” she replied.

===//===

Auror Wilson stepped quietly into Kings Cross Station. It was strangely empty, and a lot of muggles were outside. “Why is it so empty?” he whispered.

“I heard one of the platform guards mention a fire drill,” Auror Green replied, from his right.

As they got closer to the entry to Platform 9 ¾, they noticed the reported 'wizard in black' and the unconscious Muggle Auror. The young man in the beige was obviously standing guard over him, and there was a young woman, similarly dressed, guarding another muggle.

“We'll have to Obliviate those three, after we take down the target,” whispered Green. He was just drawing his wand, when half a dozen muggle soldiers walked in from the other direction, weapons drawn.

“Lieutenant Dwllphyrn, Sergeant O'Reilly,” addressed the one who was obviously in charge. “Report.”

The young woman's eyes, still fixed on the 'wizard in black' spoke up. “Good Morning Captain Yates. I'd salute, but my hands are currently occupied. We were just escorting archivist O'Reilly to the train, when we noticed a commotion amongst the families that had just stared leaving the platform. It was then that 'Mr Magister' seemed to have ordered Constable Jones onto the tracks. I know it's a breach in protocol, but Sergeant O'Reilly had to use a sleeping spell, to stop the poor man.”

_Spell?_ Wilson thought. _Muggles aren't supposed to know about magic, let alone have wizards on their payrolls, and he's too young to be an undercover Auror._

“Come, come, Mr Yates,” said Magister. “Magic? Spells? The girl is clearly delusional. I was simply out on a day release for good behaviour, and wanted to watch the trains.”

Yates's eyes glazed over, and he turned his pistol towards the two in beige. The rest of the squadron also had similar glazed looks.

“God damn it!” exclaimed Dwllphyrn. “Hiroshi, he's pre-installed a set of suggestions into the retrieval squad. Can you counter it?”

“Not without risking someone getting shot,” replied Hiroshi. “Mike? Why are you pointing your sidearm at us? You're supposed to be bringing your aunt Matilda, and her daughters over for dinner tonight, remember?”

Wilson could see Yates trying to resist whatever it was Magister had cast on him. _Statutes be damned!_ “Stupefy!”

Magister turned to face them.

“Shit!” swore Hiroshi. “Fern, do it. Don't forget about our respiratory bypasses.”

Magister's face showed true surprise, before Wilson's vision blurred. _Dryad spores! Fuck! I've already inhaled them!_

...darkness...


	12. Chapter 12

Outside Interference

Chapter 11

Auror Wilson woke to the sound of children playing. _When did I end up in a bed?_ He opened his eyes to see a miniature spider-centaur perched on the room's door. The brief surge of fear was immediately quashed by the fact it was wearing a yellow nightie. With a pink unicorn on it. A child's voice, from just outside the door called out.

“Charl, you're not being fair!”

A woman's voice came from another part of the room.

“Charlotte Freya O'Reilly, you know Sally can't climb walls.”

“Sorry Mama,” said 'Charlotte' from on top of the door, just as another miniature spider-centaur (this one wearing a blue nightie, with a yellow unicorn) came into view. This one was holding a miniature, teary-eyed, half-snake/half-human (wearing a pink nightie, with a lilac bunny). If it wasn't for the 'monster' part of them, it almost looked like a sibling trying to comfort another sibling. A third miniature spider-centaur came into view (lilac, with a blue unicorn).

“Mama, Sally needs a Mummy-hug,” said the third one.

Wilson turned his head, to see what 'Mama' looked like. He saw a young brunette, around 5'3” and fairly curvy. She was dressed similarly to the dryad from Kings Cross Station, with a white band on her upper-arm bearing the symbol of a muggle version of a Healer.

Then he noticed her ears were triangular, she had yellow eyes, and patches of scales on her cheeks and hands. Looking down, he saw a nine-foot-long snake tail where her legs should be. _An adult snake monster!_

She reached her arms down. “What's the matter Sally?” her voice was surprisingly tender. “Come to Mama, little one.” She scooped the crying ...infant?... into her arms.

_The Ministry told us the only magical creatures that had familial bonding were centaurs,_ he thought. _But where do the spiderlings fit into this? They're obviously a different species._

“Where's Daddy?” asked 'Mama'.

“He's with Okaasan,” said 'Charlotte', still perched on the door. “They're guarding the the evil wizard that kidnapped Aunt Shizu.”

“Is Shizu really our aunt?” asked the one in blue.

“She thinks she's Mummy's sister,” said the one in lilac. “Plus Aunt Fern has been hugging her a lot, so ...maybe?”

Wilson looked around the room. It looked to be some sort of infirmary, with his partner and the muggle auror occupying another two beds.

“What happened to the soldiers?” he asked.

“They're in another room,” replied the snake-creature. “Fern is keeping them under sedation, until we can find out just how many commands Magister placed in their minds.”

_He's used the Imperius Curse several times?_ He thought. _On soldiers, no less._ He gave an involuntary shudder. As he was imagining the ramifications of a Dark Wizard controlling several trained soldiers.

A soldier knocked on the door. The snake-creature, still holding the infant in one arm, greeted him. “Good evening, Brigadier.” One of the spiderlings tried to salute. 

“Good evening, Miss Slytherin,” greeted the Brigadier. “How are our guests?”

_Slytherin?_ Wilson thought. _As in Salazar? I knew he was supposed to like snakes, but this much? No wonder the Ministry has never found his heir. They obviously didn't think to consider Veela weren't the only magical creatures that could bear a child with a human._

“I've used various potions to neutralise the sedatives Fern used,” she replied. “Officer Jones will be quite hungover when he wakes up, but the two wizards should be fine, as I've dosed them with a mana-replenishment potion. Speaking of which. ...Mr Green, I know you're awake.”

The Brigadier looked at the two people awake in the beds. “So these are the wizard-version of policemen?”

“We're called Aurors,” commented Green. “And you're not supposed to know about us.”

===//===

Mizuchi stepped off the train. _So this is this version of Earth's Hogsmeade,_ she thought. 

“O'Reilly!” Sirius called out. “You look different!” He lowered his voice “Where are your wings?”

“Around my waist,” she replied. “I'm not a dragonewt. My wings have a full range of movement.”

_“Wings!?”_ Peter practically squeaked, hiding behind James, Lily, and Remus.

“Yes wings, ratboy,” Mizuchi started to stare him down. “At least you're not running this time.”

“Firs' years! Firs' years!” called a voice from the end of the platform. All of the new first years gathered towards the half-giant with the lantern.

“The first years take the boats,” explained Remus. “We take the carriages.”

As if on cue, several carriages lined up near the other end of the platform. Mizuchi ran up to the front of the carriage, and appeared to stroke something unseen between the traces.

“Of course there's nothing pulling it, Mudblood!” Crabbe shouted, as he and his friends boarded a carriage. “They move by magic!”

“He can't see them?” Mizuchi asked Remus.

“See what?” chorused the five that were with her.

“The animals in the traces,” she replied. “They look like a carnivorous variant of pegasus.”

She pulled some beef jerky from one of her pockets. Remus and the others watched it disappear.

“Only those who have seen death can see Thestrals,” said Sirius.

“Seen, caused, brushed his horse,” she replied off-handedly.

“Caused?” The four were shocked.

“Horse?” Lily questioned.

“Yes, horse,” replied Mizuchi. “A white one. He loves getting scratched behind the ear.”

“We'd better get into the carriage, before we have to walk,” said Remus, ending the current conversation.

===//===

_...beep-beep...beep-beep...beep-beep..._

The Master woke to the sound of monitoring equipment. The first thing he noticed was he was in some form of restraints. _I should be able to escape this easily,_ he thought.

“I wouldn't try it,” said a woman's voice. “You'll still be trapped in my web, whether you dislocate your joints or not.”

_Web?_ The Master opened his eyes, to see six eyes looking back at him.

“You did quite a number on those UNIT troops,” said the woman. “Right now, they're debating whether to stick you back in Dartmoor, with upgraded security, or to drop you into some place called Azkaban.” She stepped back a bit, and turned to the nearby monitor.

The Master blinked a bit. “When did Lethbridge-Stewart start employing aliens?” he asked, mildly surprised.

“No idea,” she replied. “Is the Doctor even counted as an employee? I know he's on the books as Chief Scientific Advisor. However, I don't think he actually draws a wage.”

“Don't get smart with me!” the irritation was evident in his voice. “You're obviously not human.”

“That doesn't make me an alien,” she calmly replied, still looking at the monitor. “Wow! So this is what an unmodified timelord scans as. Honey, come and have a look at this!”

The red-haired male from earlier, O'Reilly, came into the Master's field of vision. He kissed the 'not an alien' on the mouth. The Master felt irritation, for some unknown reason.

“I think he's not happy with a timelord 'interacting' with someone from a different species,” said a woman's voice from just outside of his field of vision. “How long are we keeping him on board? He makes me feel uncomfortable, even if he's restrained.”

“Timelord?” the Master was confused. “ _He_ is a timelord?” Realisation bloomed on his face. “The other signal! That was his TARDIS!” His face contorted in anger. “What did you do with my TARDIS?”

“His TARDIS?” commented the six-eyed woman. “She's my TARDIS. As for 'your' TARDIS, she was never yours, and she's formed the Pilot's Bond with Honey's sister. You're not leaving this planet.”

“The 'archivist',” he sneered. “I thought I heard the name O'Reilly before. Lethbridge-Stewart did have an alterior motive for bringing her to Dartmoor.”

===//===

Professor McGonagall stepped up to Mizuchi, as she disembarked from the carriage. “Miss O'Reilly, could you come with me please? It would be a good idea to Sort you into your House, before the first years arrive.”

“May as well,” she replied. “How exactly does the 'Sorting Hat' I've read about determine where to place me?”

“It reads through your mind, to determine what your qualities are,” she replied.

Mizuchi paled. “It reads through my mind?” _Which one will it read?_ “Has it ever gone wrong?”

“A hat-stall is extremely rare,” McGonagall tried to sound reassuring.

They walked to a small room, just off the entry hall, where Mizuchi saw an old hat on a stool. The folds, wrinkles, and stitching made it look like it had a face. “So, this is the new transfer student,” spoke the hat. “It's been a long time since a Sturmdrachen has stepped foot in this school. Let's get you sorted into your House for the year.”

McGonagall placed the Hat on Mizuchi's head.

_++Well, this is an interesting mind. ...wait... There are FOUR of you???++_

_++(Alpha) What did++_  
++(Bravo) you expect ++  
++(Charlie) from a++  
++(Prime) three-headed dragon?++ 

_++They didn't warn me you weren't human.++_

_++(Prime) You knew++_  
++(Alpha) my ancestor.++  
++(Charlie) You know++  
++(Bravo) why the founders++  
++(Prime) kicked her out.++ 

_++How do I place you? 'Alpha' is Slytherin, 'Bravo' is Gryffindor, 'Charlie' is Ravenclaw, and 'Prime' is Hufflepuff.++_

_++(Bravo) Which one++_  
++(Prime) will cause++  
++(Charlie) the least++  
++(Alpha) House disruption?++ 

_++That narrows it down.++_ “HUFFLEPUFF!”

“That was surprising,” McGonagall commented. “Please introduce yourself to your new House-mates before the first years arrive.”

As Mizuchi walked past the Slytherin table, Crabbe's voice could be heard. “Don't forget about tonight's duel, Weasley!”

“Wait a minute!” called one of the other Slytherins. “She's a 'Puff! Does that mean she's going to get disowned!?” The rest of the table burst out laughing.

“Ignore them,” said a couple of students, as they shuffled aside to make space for her.

===//===

Mizuchi was bored.

As she sat on the central goal-ring of the Quidditch field, she checked the time on her wrist computer. It was well after midnight, and Crabbe was a no-show.

_Fuck it,_ she thought to herself. _I'll deal with them later._

A runic circle appeared on the sand lining the field. Mizuchi dropped down, cracking the newly-formed ice she had created. A quick wave of her hand, and the ice reformed, and smoothed-out.

Mizuchi was an hour into practicing her figure-skating, when she smelled the approach of a cat. “Good morning Mrs Norris, Mr Filch,” she called out. “You must be dedicated to your job, if you're braving negative fifteen degrees to come outside, and watch me skate. Although it is cruel to do that to your cat.”

“S-s-skate? I-in the d-dark?” Filch's teeth were chattering. “I w-was t-told s-someone w-was out here t-to f-fight a-another s-student.”

“Wouldn't it be more likely to be inside somewhere,” she replied. “The trophy room is an out of the way spot, with a decent amount of space. Whoever gave you the 'tip' probably did it to distract you from there.” Filch watched Mizuchi do a quadruple aerial spin, and then dispel the ice with a wave of her hand. “I suggest we go inside before you or Mrs Norris gets frostbite.” She summoned her robes down from the goal-ring, scooped up Mrs. Norris, and bundled her into it. “It's 2AM, and this cat is hypothermic.” She lowered her glasses, and looked at Filch. “So are you.”

Filch looked at the young woman in front of him. She wasn't showing any signs of feeling the cold. She handed the bundle to him.

“Give me the lantern,” she ordered, and hooked it onto her tail.

_Tail?_ Filch thought, as she unfurled her wings. _I'm hallucinating from the cold, aren't I?_

“It's going to be quicker to fly you straight to the infirmary,” she said, as she moved behind him. “Don't drop your cat.”

===//===

As Dumbledore read out the morning announcements, he was surprised to find one in his pile that was written on paper. Pink paper. He read it quietly, blushed, and looked towards the Hufflepuff table. _I heard they'd lost several points for curfew-breaking last night,_ he thought. _The perpetrator apparently avoided a detention because of their getting Mr Filch to the infirmary._

He cleared his throat, and addressed the Great Hall. “I do not usually read out personal messages. However, in the interests of not seeing students duelling in the halls, I will first announce that the duelling club will be reinstated as of this afternoon, in the DADA room. Secondly,” he brought the pink paper up for the hall to see. “This was received early this morning. 'If anyone backs out of a challenge with me, their peace-offering had better be a willing woman, preferably with big boobs. Send me a middle-aged man again, and I will hunt down, and subjugate, your entire family'.”

The entire Hufflepuff table turned as one to face Mizuchi, their expressions varying between confusion, blushing, shock, and ...lustful?

“Which Gryffindor thinks he is such a big thing?” one of the Slytherins called out.

“What the hell?” a guy from the Gryffindor table called out. “The 'Puffs are all looking at the new girl.”

“What will her wife say?” Sirius could be heard over the general noise. The Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables suddenly went dead-silent, as they all turned to face the Hufflepuff table. The Slytherins were too busy listing possible Gryffindors, to notice the silence radiating from the rest of the hall.

“What?” said Mizuchi, as she paused from eating her sixth plate of bacon. “If someone is stupid enough to issue me with a challenge, and then back out, hitting them in their wallet should discourage them from being so frivolous with their challenges. I have no sexual interest in males, and my wife is fairly open to a poly-amorous relationship.”

Dumbledore cleared his throat. “With that note, that ends the morning announcements. Miss O'Reilly, please see me in my office with Miss Sprout.”

“[translation unavailable]” swore Mizuchi.


	13. Chapter 13

Outside Interference

Chapter 12

Cassandra slowly started to wake up. She was cuddling up with her youngest sister. Even with the special plushie, and the space-heater, she and her other two sisters regularly took turns to help keep Sally warm. Because she was a 'lamia', Sally got cold very easily. However, just before she opened her eyes, Cassandra remembered there was one very important rule.

**_Never look Sally directly in the eyes if she was frightened or angry._ **

Cassandra carefully opened one of her eyes, to see Sally's smiling face looking at her. “Morning Cass!' she said.

“Ohayou-gozaimasu, imouto,” Cassandra replied.

“Cass?” Sally responded. “Wrong words.”

“...oh...right...” replied Cassandra. “Good morning, little sister.”

Sally was still learning how to speak, and the adults have been using English. _Charlotte, Kuroko, and I knew how to speak Japanese from the moment we hatched,_ thought Cassandra. _'Genetic memory' was what the adults said._

However, she was still trying to figure out why she didn't need the special necklaces Charlotte and Kuroko wore to speak English. She was sure one of the adults would explain it once she was older.

Six little red eyes came into view. “Let's find an adult,” said Kuroko. “I'm hungry, and so is Kuroko.”

“Charlotte is over there, Kuroko,” Cassandra replied. “Swapping clothes won't trick me.”

“How do you always know?” Kuroko pouted. “We look exactly the same.”

“Come on, Sally. Let's get up,” said Cassandra. “Maybe we can get some eggs.”

Sally's eyes lit up. “Eggs!” she exclaimed. “I like eggs!”

The four toddlers scuttled/slithered down the hallway, passing their younger brothers' bedroom. Two of the adults were inside it. The ones known as 'Mummy' and 'Amme' were feeding Leo and Azrael. “Good morning, little ones,” said 'Amme'. “Are you hungry?”

“Yes we are,” said Charlotte. “Where are Okaasan and Mama?”

“They're guarding the bad wizard,” replied 'Mummy'. “Pinky?”

One of the funny half-size adults appeared, with a POP! “Yes, mistress Cassiopeia?”

“The little ones are hungry,” 'Mummy' stated. “Could you prepare breakfast for them, please?”

With a loud POP! the four toddlers saw themselves in the kitchen. “What would the young Misses like to eat?”

“Eggs!” exclaimed Sally.

“Natto!” chorused Charlotte and Kuroko.

“Coco-pops,” said Cassandra.

Charlotte and Kuroko each narrowed three pairs of eyes, and looked suspiciously at their older sister. “Are you sure you're our sister?” Kuroko asked.

“Also,” Charlotte asked. “When did we get coco-pops?”

“Aunt Fern bought them,” Cassandra replied. “They're in the fourth overhead cupboard.”

“Excuse me young Misses,” said Pinky. “Pinky doesn't know what 'natto' is.”

“It comes from Ventris's homeland,” said Aunt Fern from the kitchen door. “I'll show you how to prepare it.”

The dryad fetched the ingredients from their locations in the kitchen, and the House-elves watched intently as she prepared the food. Once she was done, she faced her audience. “We'll have to show you how to prepare other Japanese food.”

Five minutes into eating, Sally started to giggle. “I know how you tell our sisters apart.”

“Shh!” Cassandra responded. “Don't tell them.”

“Tell us! Tell us!” chorused Charlotte and Kuroko.

“It's a secret,” Sally giggled.

The House-elves watched in mild amusement, as the four giggling one-year-olds started chasing each other around the 'residential' wing of the manor.

===//===

Fern could hear the toddlers having fun, as she entered the boys' room. Being a dryad, she felt a 'kinship' of sorts with Galadriel, and she could see the sadness on her face as the Elf stroked the cheek of her first-born.

“Azrael can sense your sadness little sister,” whispered Fern. “When he's older, we'll be able to repair most of the damage from the mana-surge.”

“I know, but he's never going to regain his sight without cybernetics,” she replied. “Also, _I'm_ the older sister.” She pouted.

Fern laughed. “We'll be arguing over that until our kids are our age. Your world has shorter years than here, and mine has longer.”

One of the House-elves walked in with some fresh diapers. “Aren't Lady Galadriel and Lady Fern sisters?”

“Not by blood,” replied Fern. “Haven't you noticed? We're different species.”

“Swishy was told Lord Hiroshi and Lady Mizuchi are twins, and they're different species,” replied the House-elf.

“Point taken,” commented Galadriel. “By the way. Fern, you said 'our kids' a moment ago. Is it you, or Mizuchi? Also, how did you manage it without a Gene-loom?”

“Mizuchi,” confirmed Fern. “I gave Professor McGonagall the relevant documents to give to the school's medic. As for 'how' we did it, being a plant gives me some advanta...” Her voice dropped to a barely audible whisper. _“...oh no...”_

The dryad dropped to her knees, tears coming from her eyes.

===//===

Mizuchi followed Professor Sprout into Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, while McGonagall was standing just behind and to the left of him.

“What is this all about, Albus?” Professor Sprout asked. “Has Mizuchi been given permission to repair that student's wand?”

“Unfortunately not, Pomona,” replied McGonagall. “Albus called us here for something more serious.”

Dumbledore placed a glass vial on the table. It was full of a white liquid, with small metallic-pink flecks floating in it.

Mizuchi's eyes went wide with shock. “W-where did you get that?”

“I was informed that after you dropped Mr Filch off at the infirmary this morning, you went to the kitchens and ate enough food to feed six people,” informed Dumbledore. “That sort of behaviour is highly unusual, so I had the House-elves search your belongings.”

“Albus!” McGonagall was shocked. “You conducted a search of a student's personal belongings, without them or their Head of House present?”

“Justifiably so, Minerva. The House-elves found several dozen of those vials in a number of hidden compartments in her luggage,” Dumbledore continued. “I will not allow you to distribute illicit substances to the student body.”

Sprout and McGonagall could see the girl had started shaking.

“What did you do with the rest of the vials?” Sprout asked.

“I destroyed them, of course,” replied Dumbledore. “They had an unknown magical signature, and I wasn't going to risk the student body.”

“Y-you destroyed them?......” Mizuchi dropped to her knees, tears streaming from her eyes.

“Minerva!” Sprout exclaimed. “Get Poppy! Albus, you fool!”

McGonagall was already running out of the office door. Mizuchi was already in a foetal-position, silently crying to herself.

“Albus!” admonished Sprout. “Just because you suspected Dark Magic was no excuse to just act unilaterally.” She turned to the crying girl, and lowered her voice. “Mizuchi, dear, did you leave any extras with Nurse Pomfrey?”

There was a brief head shake. _“...needed special storage...take a month to prepare...”_ came a barely-audible whisper.

Dumbledore watched in confusion as Sprout tried in vain to comfort the girl curled up on the floor. “Mizuchi needed to take one of those potions every six hours,” there was an edge of anger in the Hufflepuff's voice. “She was pregnant, Albus! The potions were to stop her from miscarrying.”

Hufflepuffs look after their own.

===//===

Sally stalked through the south wing of the mansion, hardly making a sound as she slithered between covered furniture, carefully lifting their edges and looking underneath. She could hear the quiet giggles from one of her older sisters, most likely Kuroko, from the chandelier above her head. It was breaking the 'rules' of the game to hide where the seeker couldn't physically access, which meant... she looked carefully ahead, and noticed the heat radiating from a web, strung between some covered benches. She could 'see' heat. The adults already knew about it. However, she took Cass's lead, and kept quiet about it. Just like how Charl and Kuroko haven't realised the markings on their 'spider-butts' are different.

Movement. Sally turned in fright, as a rat as long as her arm tried to jump at her face.

“Oh no!” chorused three voices from the region of the ceiling.

_Bunch of cheaters,_ she thought angrily. It was that anger that saved her, as the lifeless corpse of the rat fell to the ground. The other rats in the swarm panicked, and ran straight into an assortment of webs that suddenly surrounded them.

Sally's older sisters lowered themselves down from the ceiling. “Pinky,” Cass called out. “There's rats in here.”

POP! POP! POP! Several House-elves materialised. “Oh dear! Are the young Misses okay?” Pinky asked.

One of the other House-elves screeched in fright. “Nobody move! Lumpy thinks there's a Basilisk in the room! This rat is petrified!”

The House-elves immediately went on alert, and tried to surround the four toddlers.

Charlotte prodded the petrified rat with one of her pedipalps. “So this is why Mama said not to look Sally in the eyes if she's angry.”

“This is why Lady Fern asked Greenie to buy some Mandragora,” said a female House-elf, as she whacked 'Lumpy' over the head. “Lumpy didn't listen when Lord Hiroshi took us on. Lady Renata and Miss Sally are part Basilisk.”


	14. Chapter 14

Outside Interference

Chapter 13

Professor Sprout was sitting in a chair near the bed they'd put Miss O'Reilly in. Professor McGonagall had returned to the Headmaster's office, to give him a piece of her mind, and from the way her Scottish brogue had gotten thicker, it would be a very large piece. Madam Pomfrey had gone into he back room to try and prepare a calming draught for the still-crying student. As she reached over to remove the spiky headband from the girl's hair she heard a strange noise, and looked down.

_...plink plink....plink plink....plink plink..._

“POPPY!” she yelled. “Come quickly!”

Madam Pomfrey rushed from the back room. “What is it, Pomona?” She looked towards the bed. “Great Morgana! We're going to have to get her to St Mungo's!”

The girl's tears had turned into ice.

===//===

They watched impotently, as their heartbroken sister-in-law huddled in the corner of the nursery bawled her eyes out. She was surrounded by three of her four guardian swarms. The Hornet-pixies guarded her with fierce determination. Two of their queens tried to comfort her, and the third was trying to activate Fern's Orichalcum comm-link system. Thankfully, Shizu was watching the kids in a different part of the mansion. Hornet-pixies had one hell of a sting.

“My psychic link with Mizuchi isn't reaching her,” said Hiroshi. “None of her personalities are responding, and Fern's and Mizuchi's comms equipment are the only sets fitted with orichalcum circuitry. Our equipment can't get past Hogwarts' jamming field.”

“Something must have happened to their baby,” commented Galadriel.

Cassiopeia looked at the amulet she received from her in-laws as a 'wedding' present. The constantly-shifting Mandelbrot patterns on the amulet's butterfly wings were a reminder that her family grew up in a universe where Gods and demons were physical entities. Hell, Quetzalcoatl only lives a couple of blocks away from her mother-in-law.

She had already used two of the three 'favours' granted by the Chaos Pendant. The first resulted in Cassandra, the second was for Leo. She held her amulet up to her mouth, and whispered into its centre. “I'm calling in my final favour...”

===//===

The Infirmary door burst open. “Is Miss O'Reilly in here?” Professor Slughorn ran in, carrying some of the 'destroyed' vials, still fully intact. “Thank Merlin I instructed the House-elves to bring any strange potions that were confiscated straight to me, with absolutely no exceptions.”

“How? Why?” Madam Pomfrey and Professor Sprout were confused.

“I told them it was just in case I needed to make antidotes,” he replied. “Unofficially, it was because I just knew Albus's Gryffindor tendencies would cause him to make a rash choice with any strange potions a non-human student would need to take.”

He tapped the girl's hand with one of the vials, and whispered. “Mizuchi, I've rescued most of your vials.”

It took a few moments for the information to register on her face. She sat up, and drank from a vial. “Tell Professor Dumbledore that if my baby hasn't survived, not even his phoenix will be able to defrost him.”

“Sure, sure,” Slughorn reassured the girl. “Now, how do I store the other ones?”

Mizuchi reached out an arm. “Apport. Travel case.” Her case materialised in her lap. She grabbed the carry-handle, and pulled. There was a clicking sound as she rotated the handle 180 degrees, and pushed it back in place. When she flicked the catches, a cloud of fine ice crystals dispersed from the case, to reveal racks filled with slots for the vials.

Mere moments later, a swarm of roughly two dozen Hornet-pixies with pale blue and white markings burst into the infirmary. Anyone familiar with Muggle military tactics would have noticed they were using British SAS squadron formations, albeit while airborne.

{Stay away from our Empress!} A mix of tinkling, trilling, and buzzing came from the swarm's Queen.

{Stand down!} replied Mizuchi. {He's the school's pharmacy lecturer. He saved my biothermal stabilisers from an overzealous staff member.}

{Someone dared to risk our Empresses' offspring?} came the angry reply. {Let me freeze their blood!}

{You will do no such thing, Yuki. It was done from ignorance, not malice. However, if there is a repeat, you have permission to painfully end him.} Mizuchi then activated her comm-link. “Fern. Please respond.”

She turned to Professor Sprout. “Once my potions are packed back in my case, I'll be returning to my wife for several days.”

===//===

While the rest of the ...fairies? ... pixies?... were loading vials into Miss O'Reilly's case, Professor Slughorn was observing the one that was sitting in the Mizuchi's lap. She had a look of contentment on her face, as the dragon absently brushed and braided the 5” tall woman's waist-length blue hair. She was using two of her four arms to hold tiny hairclips up for the larger woman. If it wasn't for the little one's size, the body language matched that of a big sister braiding a younger sister's hair.

“I'm nowhere near as much of an expert as Professor Scamander,” he commented, “but what are they?”

“They're a type of demi-human called a Hornet-pixie,” Mizuchi replied. “They normally form a symbiotic relationship with a Dryad queen. When I married Fern, our magic sort of merged. Yuki and her swarm technically became my familiars when it happened. These little ones being of a similar nature to myself are now closer to me than they are to her. I suspect that when our baby is born, one of her other swarms may end up shifting their bond to her.”

“Other swarms?” Slughorn asked.

“Fern is a rare variety of Dryad queen, and bonded her magic to four small swarms instead of one large one,” replied Mizuchi.

There was a tinkling from near her waist, and Horace could clearly see 'Yuki' laughing.

“!!!! bzzzt +++! bzzzt bzztz!z bz!zzt,” said Yuki.

Mizuchi gave a small chuckle. “Yes, yes. It means you got to enhance your magic by bonding with a fellow cryo-mage. It also means you have an unfair advantage over other Flitterball teams.”

“Flitterball?” asked Professor Slughorn.

“Think of it like a cross between Muggle football and Quidditch,” she replied. “Yuki is Captain and Chaser for the Oborozuka Razorwind. Before we left Japan, there was talk of the human-sized flying demi-humans planning to make their own leagues.”

===//===

(SEVERAL DAYS LATER)

_Ottery St Catchpole was boring. Nothing ever happens here._ Erin walked down the stairs, into her family's grocery store, planning to ask if she could go visit Bill's place, only to see her parents talking with some woman with green hair. She was used to seeing a few strange people coming and going. Her mother was a witch, and some of the nearby wizarding families had atrocious fashion sense.

They were talking in their native Welsh. They only spoke Welsh when they didn't want the locals eavesdropping.

“Roeddrem eisoes yn gwybod am y pentref ar y gorwel yn goedwig,” said her mother.

“Pryd wnaeth y fyddin o Brydain ddechrau recriwtio sychwyr?” asked her father.

“Dydyn nhw ddim. I yn dechnegol yn gweithio i'r Cenhedloedd Unedig,” replied the woman.

Erin looked around. “Why are you trying to be secretive? Most of the villagers have spotted the radio towers in the woods. It's obvious you're arranging something for the Army.” She looked at the 'customer' more closely. “Won't your Captain punish you for dying your hair, even if it's for a disguise?”

There was a suppressed laugh from near the door. “She's quick on the uptake, but oblivious to some details.”

Erin turned to see a tall red-haired woman leaning against the shop's doorway. She was wearing a bright green dress and a metallic-purple cloak. “Details?”

“Mae gan sychu ddail, nid gwallt,” commented the redhead.

_Dammit,_ thought Erin. _I should have paid more attention to my parents' Welsh lessons._

“{It's a real shame when the younger generation loses their cultural identity.}” said Yuki, from tucked away in Mizuchi's ample cleavage.

“I-is that a fairy?” Erin's eyes opened wide, as she noticed the miniature blue-haired humanoid. “Why are you keeping it in there?”

“Because she doesn't want her to blow away in the wind,” commented Fern. “Mizuchi, you really should have kept her with the rest of her swarm.”

Fern turned back towards Erin's parents. “When your delivery van arrives, the supplies should all be dropped off at the old servant's quarters. We're all currently staying there until we've checked the manor properly, as it's been so long since it was occupied. We don't want another repeat of the two foot rats my nieces found a few days ago.”

...It was two hours later, while she was helping Bill to remove gnomes from his parent's garden, when she remembered what a 'sychu' was.

===//===

Corporal Jones looked over towards the firing range, and took a huge drag of his cigarette. “When did UNIT start recruiting kids?”

“Apparently he was part of some special program over in Japan,” replied sergeant Reed, next to him. “None of the brass has given us much detail, but his cadet squadron worked so well together, they gave a 'proper' special ops squad a run for their money.”

“What I can't figure out,” commented one of the soldiers in the group, “is what is his uniform made out of, and why is it beige?”

“I think it's made from that new Kevlar stuff,” Reed replied. “Holy shit! Look at that clustering!”

Captain Yates walked up to the group. “He's pretty good. The beige colouring was because they were being trained as a type of SRT unit.”

The 'head' section of a target further back suddenly disappeared. “However," continued Yates. "Their marksman makes him look like a complete amateur.”

“Where the hell did that come from!?” Jones exclaimed.

Yates pointed to an apartment building outside of the army base's fence.

“That's over a mile away,” said Reed. “He must be good.”

“ _She_ is,” stated Yates. “Believe it or not, O'Reilly the only male in his squadron.”

“He is?” Reed was surprised. “Wait. O'Reilly? I thought the kid looked familiar! He looks like Seamus, over in the motor-pool.”

“He's his nephew,” Yates commented. He then noticed O'Reilly tap his earpiece, and suddenly look up.

“Captain!” he called out. “Mana lens! My two o'clock!”

Yates put on what looked like half a pair of yellow-tinted glasses, and looked where directed. “Oh my God!”

In the sky was a giant skull, with a snake emerging from its mouth.

A glowing circle suddenly appeared in the air, a few metres in front of the group. A couple of seconds later, a shadow formed in the centre of the circle, and a tall woman stepped through. She had a silenced rifle slung over her shoulder, and was carrying some sort of cloak bundled in her arm. It had a weird silvery pattern on it instead of the usual camouflage pattern issued to snipers. Hiroshi ran up to join them.

“I think we're going to have to let them know a lot sooner,” said Galadriel, as she removed her helmet.

“She's an Elf?!” exclaimed Reed.

“An Elf with Kevlar armour, and a bloody sniper rifle,” observed one of the soldiers. “So much for mithril and a longbow.”

Hiroshi suppressed a laugh. “Our armour isn't exactly Kevlar. We have threads of Mithril, Orichalcum, Dragon hair, and Arachne silk woven in as reinforcement.”

_“Arachne silk?”_ Two of the soldiers looked at each other.

_Dragon hair?_ Reed mouthed. “What type of SRT squad are you?”

A woman's voice came from behind, and slightly above, them. “One that was trained to deal with mages and non-humans.”

Reed turned to see who spoke. She was obviously female. Abundantly so, but it was like someone had decided to dive into his personal nightmares. Spiders had always frightened him, and he was currently staring at something, whose lower body was a giant spider.

“Soldier, my eyes are up here,” Ventris commented.

Reed hesitantly looked up to her eyes.

All. Six. Of. Her. Eyes.

Yates looked down, then towards Corporal Jones. “Corporal, fetch the smelling salts.”

Ventris looked towards the skull floating in the sky. “Lethbridge-Stewart is going to be pissed. The Minister for Magic didn't mention _that_ in their last meeting.”


	15. Chapter 15

Outside Interference

Chapter 14

It was woken by the wards on the outer entry to its lair being triggered. It had been so long since it was last awakened. It was sooo hungry.

_Maybe Master had finally returned, to resume the hunt,_ it thought. _If it isn't Master, then it will be my next meal._

By the time the large door sealing its lair was opened, it was fully awake. It sniffed the air.

_Two females,_ it thought. One extremely faint, possibly a pixie or fairy, and one that was not-quite-mammal, not-quite-reptile. _It doesn't matter. Neither were speaking in Master's language, so they were not Master's successor. Therefore they were prey._

It slid out of one of its lair's many tunnels, ready to attack. As it reared up to strike the red-haired woman, the pixie-creature made a warning noise. Wings unfurled from the woman's back, and it felt the magic surge from the woman. Rings of multicoloured circles orbited her, as she turned around.

The last thing it saw was three pairs of eyes looking down at it, completely unaffected by its petrifying gaze. The last thing it heard was the pixie-creature's voice.

“{They kept one of _those_ near children? What sick bastard removes the third eyelids from one of those in an area that has non-combatants?”}

The last thing it felt was an intense, burning, cold.

...darkness...

===//===

Dumbledore groggily walked down the stairs. He was awake all night, waiting for the tell-tale thrum of the boundary wards. They were never triggered.

“Damn, that girl,” he muttered to himself. _Now I've got to pretend that I slept well last n--_

There was a distinct hint of pink amongst the paperwork on his desk. Nobody saw the brief flash of fear on his face, as he drew his wand. He silently cast a homonus revelio spell, neglecting to remember (or ignorant in the knowledge) it only works for detecting homo sapiens, and gingerly made his way to the door. A frown formed on his face, as his wand revealed nothing had entered through it. The same result came when he checked all of his windows.

_How can a seventeen year old chit get past all of my defences?_

He sat at his desk, and used a levitation spell to carefully remove the offending item from the pile

…  
Recently Acquired:

Six life-sized, conversation piece, garden statues.

Several daisy-bed starter sets.

All enquiries to go to the head of the DMLE.  
…

“Oh, did that nice young lady with the hornet-pixies come in through the bookshelves again?” commented the portrait of former Principal Black. “I'm surprised someone so young knows how to navigate L-Space. Her little helpers have been going all over the castle, and doing maintenance work on some of the older portraits.”

Dumbledore absently ate a lemon drop, and moments later didn't even realise he'd shuffled the paper back into his pile of parchment.

The portrait of Principal Black shook his head. _So worried about security, and yet he didn't even notice that the girl had written 'read this as your third announcement' using some Muggle product called ultra-violet ink on her paperwork, and the hornet-pixie had paired it with some sort of pheromone-based compulsion charm bonded to the sugar in his lemon drops._

===//===

Amelia was about to enter the Prefect's bathroom, when she heard part of the conversation on the other side.

“The Muggles are really okay with magical creatures just walking around in full view?”

_Was that Moaning Myrtle?_ Amelia thought.

“It varied from area to area,” replied Mizuchi. “Most of Oborozuka accepted 'The big reveal' pretty much straight away. Some places took longer to accept it. Mostly because the existence of certain beings contradicted their religions.”

Amelia pushed open the door, and walked in...

...and was immediately unsure which was more shocking; her dorm-mate's _**twelve foot wingspan,** _ or the fact she was being bathed by several copies of that pixie-creature. _It's almost like retainers tending to a princess._ “Damn, Mizuchi! How many familiars do you have?” she asked.

Mizuchi turned around. Amelia noticed that she carried herself differently to other 'half-breed' witches and wizards. _It's like she's grown up without being made to feel ashamed about being part magical creature._

“Oh, hi Amelia!” greeted Mizuchi. “I actually share these little ones with my wife. Fern has another three swarms bonded to her. Their queens treat each other like sisters.” She was momentarily lost in thought, then touched her stomach. “At last count we had 90, but some of them are preparing to shift their bond to Violet, when she's born.”

“{My sisters and I might have our own young to bond with her instead.}” buzzed Yuki. “{Anything could happen in the lead-up to the birth. You don't lay eggs like a 'normal' dragon, and Violet won't be born until August.}”

“Is it strange that I can understand her?” Myrtle asked.

“Probably not,” replied Mizuchi. “Mum can understand them. She's technically a ghost.”

“Technically?” Myrtle and Amelia asked.

“She's a type of haunted armour,” replied Mizuchi. “My older sister, Hikari, accidentally used material from an unmarked grave when making the battle-computer for a transforming mecha. As soon as she found out what she did, Hikari upgraded her with a Remote Holographic Projection Unit, and several other things. Mother married her last year.”

“By the way,” Amelia commented. “When did you get in? Professor Sprout fell asleep in her office around midnight, waiting for you.”

“I know,” replied the redhead. “It was 2AM when I got back. I left a note for her, in case she woke up before I returned from my bath. That secret passage under Myrtle's toilet was filthy.”

“Why were you out so late?”

“I had no choice. Your father, and a few others from the DMLE were questioning us about the Death Eater attack on my brother's place.”

“By Merlin! I'm so sorry!”

“Kind of ticked off nobody warned us you had a terrorist group roaming around. On the upside, you have eighteen less to worry about.”

“Three squads? They sent three squads? How many people died?”

“Eleven. Unless petrification counts too, in which case, seventeen.”

“Great Morgana!”

“Yeah,” commented Mizuchi. “I'm also annoyed one of them got away. I didn't think he'd sever his own arm to run away. There might have been more in the group that attacked the main house, but we were kind of busy defending ourselves and the children to do an initial head-count.”

“Hang on,” Amelia replied. “None of your family died? Death Eater kill squads are supposed to be highly trained.”

Mizuchi shook with laughter, and there were lots of little tinkling noises from her familiars.

“{Highly trained? Where did they train? The Scooby-doo tactical academy? 'Hey gang! We're in unfamiliar territory, with an unknown numbers of hostiles. Let's split up!' Several of them were taken down by one-year-olds.}” laughed Yuki.

Mizuchi wiped her eyes. “Yuki, all four of my nieces have highly venomous bites. Sally also has a petrifying gaze, and the triplets can already trap wolves in their webs. It is highly unlikely a 'normal' infant could even harm, let alone kill, a trained wizard. Come on, let's dressed and go to breakfast.”

===//===

Professor Sprout caught part of the conversation Miss O'Reilly was having at the breakfast table, as she walked towards it.

“I was surprised Salazar placed his private quarters so far from the main building. Then again, each of the five founders needed 'alone time' from each other.”

“Five founders?” asked Professor Sprout. “There were only four founders.”

Mizuchi turned to face her Head of House. “There were originally five. The 'mysterious architect' who helped build this place was my ancestor. She was booted out about a year after construction, for ...reasons.”

“**cough cough** {Shagging Salazar's mother.} **cough**” commented Yuki, from Mizuchi's shoulder.

“That was one of them,” replied Mizuchi. “Although, I think Salazar was more upset that the other three founders found out he was one of the ultra-rare male offspring of a Lamia.”

“Hold on,” Amelia asked, “if each founder had their own private quarters, why haven't any of us seen them?”

“You have seen some of them,” replied Mizuchi. “Godric Gryffindor's quarters is now the Headmaster's office. Rowena Ravenclaw's is accessible via the library, although you need ..special knowledge... to find it. Salazar Slytherin's was that place I found under Myrtle's toilet, Helga Hufflepuff's is now Hagrid's hut. Titania Sturmdrachen's got turned into storage. You call it the Room of Requirement.”

Professor Sprout handed Mizuchi a piece of parchment. “These are your classes. We have also scheduled appointments to properly assess your abilities.”

“Only because the racists in the Ministry won't recognise 'foreign' certifications,” replied Mizuchi.

“That may be,” replied Professor Sprout. “Unfortunately, you still need to be assessed by a recognised authority. On a personal note, I am pleased that you chose Herbology as one of your electives.”

There was a murmuring coming from a number of tables, as the students started to notice most of the sixth and seventh year Slytherins hadn't arrived for breakfast.

“It's not like the Snakes to sleep in,” commented one of the Ravenclaw prefects. “Are they sick?”

Amelia raised an eyebrow at Mizuchi. Professor Sprout noticed the gesture. “Do you three know something?”

“I'm sure DCI Bones will send a message about it soon,” Mizuchi commented, as she pulled up her fourth plate of food.

“Dee-see-eye?” asked Amelia. “Is that a Muggle word? My father is an Auror.”

“Sorry,” Mizuchi apologised. “Habit. He's a high-ranking, non-uniformed, Law Enforcement officer. I just assumed he was equivalent to a Detective Chief Inspector, so we used that in front of the UNIT soldiers that shared my brother's place. The ...Aurors... didn't object. I think they were a bit surprised that Fern had to stop both groups from erasing the memories of the other.”

One of the Ravenclaw seventh years listening to the conversation gasped in surprise. “You can make memory charms without using magic?”

Mizuchi leaned back. “The tech-division of UNIT can. They have several secure facilities. Most of them have Memory Filters strategically placed throughout them. They even have a 'portable' one. It just weighs the same as a heavy machine-gun, and needs two people to carry. The look on their faces, when I lifted it up in one hand, and slung it over my shoulder, was priceless.”

**BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!**

Dumbledore fired off three blasts from his wand.

“Students! Attention please!” Dumbledore held a scroll of parchment one hand, and a sheet of pink paper in the other. “Ignoring Miss O”Reilly's flippant notice, that reads like a 'lost and found' advertisement from the Prophet, I have here a more tactful notification from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. There were Death Eater attacks on several properties over the weekend.”

There were gasps from all four tables.

“I would strongly suggest you either talk with your Heads of House, or write to your families,” continued Dumbledore. “Unfortunately, some of you may be receiving letters from the Ministry.”

“The lucky ones are either in UNIT, or DMLE holding cells,” Mizuchi commented.

“Or St Mungo's,” Amelia added. “Six petrifications from either your niece, or sister-in-law.”

“I saw two Lamiaii in your enchanted photo frame,” commented Professor Sprout. “An adult and an infant. They're part Basilisk, aren't they?”

===//===

“What is that filthy half-breed doing in here?” screeched a woman's voice.

Fern turned from assisting the DMLE officers and Wizengamot members with the reports. “That's hypocritical, coming from you. One of your parent's was obviously a Kappa.”

One of the hornet-pixie queens tending to a witch that had been physically sick, brushed her bright green hair from her eyes. “{I'm surprised she hasn't been swarmed by bees. That much pink on someone older than four is unhealthy.}”

There were several tinkling laughs from the hornet-pixies not currently occupied.

The woman's eyes bugged out. She was obviously unused to being disrespected so openly. “I am Senior Under-secretary to the Minister of Magic. You will show me respect, you filthy half-breed.”

“If we're going to play the 'my title is bigger than yours' game,” Fern replied. “I am the Swarm Queen of the Dryads. STFU, and either help with these reports, or GTFO.”

The Minister of Magic looked up, grey-faced, from the report he was reading. “You heard her, Dolores We have a lot of evidence to look at. Four of the witnesses are too young for Penseive memory extraction.”

One of the wizards took his face out of the Penseive. “They had a fucking dragon on their property. A. Fucking. Dragon.”

“That's my wife you're talking about,” Fern commented.

He looked at her. “Don't get me started about you. I read 'War of the Worlds' when I was a child. You turned a Lumos spell into a fucking Death Ray! I'm surprised the three kids that witnessed everything from the other side of the lake weren't traumatised.”

===//===

In the apartment above the grocery store, Erin was being hugged by her parents. While they were obviously worried, she had seen her first glimpse of how magic could hurt people, as she saw the Muggle Healer and the Snake-woman working on both Aurors, and Muggle Soldiers alike. _I'm going to be a Healer when I grow up._

===//===

Bill squirmed in the arms of his mother. _She's too clingy._ He saw the Dryad and the pixie-creatures removing the magical curses from the mansion and its surrounds. _How many people lost their homes to curses in the olden days? If I learned how to do that, I can help people like Mum and Dad. I'm going to be a Curse-Breaker when I grow up._

===//===

Charlie was being hugged by his father. He saw the dragon transform itself into a human, and watched intently, as she used weapons and magic to kill two Death Eaters, and pin another to a tree. He looked up at his father. “Dad. I want to work with dragons when I grow up.” _Maybe there are other ones that can change into pretty girls._


	16. Chapter 16

Outside interference

Chapter 15

(Time skip. A few months later)

**Earth Orbit, _Strax's Vengeance._ **

“Commander Bron, report!” Admiral Strax stood proudly in front of his vessel's observation window.

His 2IC strode up to his commanding officer. “Colonel Styre's helmet feeds suggest that our intelligence gathering methods may have been ...inadequate.”

===//===

**Somewhere near London**

A dozen UNIT soldiers were huddled behind a ruined warehouse building. Energy blasts from the four-foot alien warriors was slowly, but steadily, eroding their cover.

“Trap Three to Greyhound! Trap Three to Greyhound! …sorry Sarge, there's too much interference. I can't get past their jamming.” The UNIT signalman tried another frequency on his field radio, and tried in vain to get through to their HQ.

“Try the new equipment,” Sergeant Hastings.

“But it was built by a seventeen year old kid,” replied the signalman. “I only took it to humour him.”

“Just try it,” he ordered. “Our rifles won't fire. Our grenades don't even work.”

The signalman pulled what looked like half a set of stereo headphones out of his backpack. “I feel like a fool,” he said, as he placed it on his head. “What the hell?”

Hastings's eyes briefly showed surprise, as parts of the headset lit up, and a rectangle of light appeared just in front of his signalman's right eye.

_“Trap Three, this is Kaiju Four!”_ came a woman's voice from the headset. _“Give me a Sitrep! We're receiving multiple reports of squadrons under fire by off-world bogeys!”_

“Kaiju?... Four” replied the signalman. “What kind of call-sign is 'Kaiju'?”

_“An accurate one,”_ replied the voice. _“Is that weapons fire?”_

“Affirmative!” replied Hastings, taking the headset from his signalman's head. “We are under heavy fire, and need reinforcements.”

**_CRACK!_ **

The report of a .50cal echoed off the walls.

===//===

Styre laughed maniacally, as his squadron fired randomly into the wall the primitive scum were hiding behind. _If we get serious, this will be over far too quickly,_ he thought.

**_CRACK!_ ** One of his trooper's heads exploded.

_Impossible!_ Styre thought. _The jamming field has a one kilometre radius._

“Sergeant Paladin can hit a target from up to four kilometres away,” whispered a voice near his ear.

Styre suddenly found himself upside down, wrapped in some sort of organic mesh. In front of him was a life-form he was entirely unfamiliar with. It was over two metres tall, and stood on eight armoured legs. Its upper body resembled the ...female?... variant of the Hu-man creatures, except that is arms ended in vicious claw, and it had six eyes.

“What species are you?” sneered Styre. “This planet has been claimed by Sontaran High Command. You have no claim over it!”

**_CRACK!_ ** Another headshot.

“You have no claim over this planet,” replied the life-form. “And the Elf with the sniper rifle is going to keep popping heads until you stand down, and drop your weapons. As for species, maybe you should have done your research before trying to invade a Class Five protected planet. Homo Sapiens aren't the only 'humans' on this planet.”

===//===

Hastings risked raising his head from the squad's cover, and saw something that he would never forget in his life. The off-worlders were being restrained with silk from what was obviously a 'mythical' arachne. She was being covered by a lithe woman, holding a pair of pistols. She had a .50cal sniper rifle slung over her back.

“Good afternoon Sergeant,” greeted the arachne. “You'll excuse us if we don't salute. I'm guessing you're Trap Three. We're two of the members of Kaiju Two.”

“Two of?” Hastings asked.

“We had to split into smaller groups,” she replied. “You weren't the only squad taking fire.”

“At least these guys can brag they were taken out by an Elven sniper, and an Arachne,” commented the woman with the pistols.

The arachne burst out laughing. “Good point. How embarrassed are the Sontarans who got taken down by Fern's pixie swarms?”

“Pick-zees?” the off-worlder's CO asked. “What are these pick-zees?”

“Small, flying humanoids,” Hastings absently replied. “Roughly five inches tall.”

_“You do realise his helmet's sensor suite is sending real-time data back to his ship,”_ commented the voice in the headset.

“Really?” the arachne's voice perked up. She moved into clear view of the prisoner's helmet. “Leave now or we'll ask our Dragon to make you leave.” The Sontarans, including the dead ones vanished.

“Dragon?” Hastings whispered. “When did UNIT start employing monsters?”

_“That's harsh,”_ replied the voice. _“Just because some of us look a little different.”_

“Some of us have very good hearing,” the woman holstered her pistols and removed her helmet, exposing her pointed ears. “The Brigadier was going to announce it in a few days, but the UN will be acknowledging the existence of various races, currently considered myths and legends, at the end of the month. They will be given all of the rights and protections that 'normal' humans like you take for granted. Whether they go fully public is a different matter..”

“Why wouldn't they go public?” asked one of the other soldiers. “Elves, arachne, pixies, dragons. What else? They're all real! I would have loved to see a real dragon as a kid!”

“Think about it,” commented the arachne. “How many people would freak out? You've got religious fanatics in several nations who would commit any number of atrocities to innocent lives because their 'imaginary friend' says they're daemonic entities? At the very least, the UN will need to wait until the safety of the various hidden tribes is ensured.”

“Point taken,” commented Hastings. “I've seen examples of what some people do to other humans in the name of God.” A look of realisation appeared on his face. “Gods don't exist too, do they?”

The arachne wiggled her hand 'so-so'. “The Goddess Quetzalcoatl lives within walking distance of my mother-in-law's place. One of my sisters-in-law has beaten up a few malevolent entities. It wouldn't surprise me if a few others are around.”

===//===

**Ottery St Catchpole**

“Bill, Charlie, Percy! Don't run too far ahead!” Molly called out to her three eldest, while trying to juggle the twins. Not far away, a pair of muggle soldiers was assisting a pregnant woman to load groceries into the back of a vehicle.

“It's the dragon!” Charlie and Bill chorused, running toward the trio.

Molly looked towards the shy in a panic. _How could a dragon manage to fly this close without being spotted earlier? If these muggles see it, the Ministry id going to flip!_

The woman turned to face the boys, just as Percy tripped over. As she started to lower the twins, the woman rushed forward. “Are you okay, Percy?”

The woman bent down, and carefully lifted Percy up. Rainbow-coloured runic circles appeared around the woman's hands, and Percy's injuries vanished. Molly hurried towards the two of them, Fred and George still in her arms.

“You shouldn't be using magic in front of the muggles,” Molly half hissed, half whispered.

“Llewellyn and Jones already know,” replied the woman.

“Is everything alright, Mizuchi?” called one of the soldiers.

“It's fine, Llewellyn,” replied Mizuchi. “The little one just had a few scrapes. I'm going to stick around the village for a while. You guys head back to base.”

“But what about your condition,” protested Jones. “Dragon, or not. I can't, in good conscience, let someone six months pregnant walk that far.”

“Your concern is noted,” replied Mizuchi. She pointed towards a red box nearby. “I can always use the telephone to get someone from the base to collect me.”

The soldiers got into their vehicle, turned it around, waved, and headed back towards where Molly knew the new muggle facility was.

It took a few moments for Molly's brain to catch up with what just happened. This pregnant woman, that all of her children, including the twins, were trying to gain the attention of was apparently a dragon.

“Bill! Charlie! Percy!” exclaimed Mizuchi. “You're upsetting your mother! Fred, George, you'll hurt yourselves if you squirm around like that!”

“How do you know my sons' names?” asked a shocked Molly.

“I met Bill and Charlie six months ago,” Mizuchi replied. “They come back regularly to watch the girls practice Flitterball.”

“It's fairy football, Mum!” chimed in Bill. “They use a mini Quidditch field!”

“I met your other three boys a couple of weeks ago,” Mizuchi continued. “Fred and George suddenly appeared in the middle of my nieces' room.”

“I remember Arthur saying they performed some accidental magic while I was visiting the Lovegoods,” Molly replied.

“They've been 'accidentally' appearing near Kuroko and Charlotte every few days,” said Mizuchi. “I'm surprised Arthur and your other sons haven't said anything.”

“Charl'/'Roko gives good hugs,” the twins both said together.

Mizuchi's head suddenly jerked around, a quiet growl coming from her mouth. There was a halberd in her hand, and small ice crystals coalesced and evaporated as she breathed.

Molly felt a shiver go through her spine, and turned to see what she was looking at.

“The statues,” Bill whispered. “There's something wrong with the statues.”

“Bill, most churches have statues of angelfolk in front of them,” Molly whispered. “Now back slowly away from the scary lady.”

“But Mum,” protested Bill. “They're not statues! The one on the left moved!”

**_“Kono wakusei o saru, matawa atashi wa anata ga saru koto o kyousei shimasu.”_ ** Mizuchi growled.

The statues turned their heads.

Molly fainted.

===//===

Molly woke to the sound of Arthur's voice. “Are you sure they're going to be okay Doctor Sullivan?” She appeared to be in a hospital bed. Arthur's worried face was looking down at her.

“Yes Mr Weasley,” replied the man she assumed was Doctor Sullivan. “Healer Slytherin will check on Mrs Weasley and baby Ronald again in a few minutes.”

Molly then noticed there was a small crib next to the bed. The baby inside it was sleeping soundly. She turned towards the sound of a door opening, and her eyes widened in fear, as a half-snake magical creature slithered in. Then she noticed the Healer's robes. “Arthur, did they give me a bad potion? I think I'm seeing things.”

“You're perfectly fine Molly,” Arthur replied calmly. “Renata has apparently been working as a Healer since she was fourteen.”

“Either the sight of the Weeping Angels, or shock of realising that Mizuchi was a dragon, caused you to go into labour a few weeks early,” explained Renata. “Before you say anything. Yes your children mentioned it to you, but because she looked like a young pregnant woman, your subconscious didn't register it properly. After all, dragons are big huge fire-breathing reptiles. When your brain finally overrode your senses, you panicked. It was easier to bring you here, than to risk trying to get you to St Mungos.”

The voices of the boys could be heard outside the door, along with those of four young girls.

Doctor Sullivan walked up to the door. “Kids, please keep it down,” he whispered. “The baby is sleeping.”

“Sorry Uncle Harry,” said a tiny version of Renata. “Fred and George wanted to show Kuroko and Charlotte their little brother.” Her voice dropped down to a 'conspirational' stage whisper. “I think they want permission off their mummy and daddy to get married.”

There were some giggles from the rest of the group. “Only big people can get married,” Percy's bossy-streak came out.

“But it was cute/funny,” said a spider-centaur, that just came into view, and Bill simultaneously. “They're already teaching each other pranks,” continued the spider-centaur.

“Cassandra, Charlotte, Kuroko, Sally. No 'married person stuff' beyond hugs and hand-holding until you've finished high school,” Renata scolded.

“Yes Mama,” chorused four voices.

Molly looked back towards Renata. “What happened to those statue creatures?”

“That was so cool!” Charlie jumped up and down, excitedly. “They moved really really fast, but Mizuchi cut one of their arms off with her halberd. Then the other one touched her, and she vanished. When they turned to face us, they didn't see her stride out of the library building. The one that was missing an arm looked so confused when Mizuchi's halberd came out of its chest. She then blew this weird snowflake out of her mouth, and towards the one that touched her. Dragons are so awesome!”

“Just after the snowflake touched it,” continued Bill. “She snapped her fingers, and the statue creature shattered. I then saw her push magic into the halberd, and the blade got all frosty. Cracks formed all over the creature and it just fell into pieces.”

“She did warn them.” Renata commented. “Even an idiot knows to never get too close to a nesting dragon.”


	17. Chapter 17

Outside interference

Chapter 16

**New York, late July 1980**

Auror Green looked warily at the UNIT officer next to him. “Ah, Lieutenant Rodriguez, why are we waiting at the public library? Shouldn't we be meeting our guests at the ...what's it called?... air port?”

Rodriguez turned to face the wizard. “If they were coming in by aeroplane, we would have.” She glanced towards the Head Librarian, and gave a gesture that Green didn't see. “Our contacts at MACUSA were given strict instructions on who could accompany us.”

“MACUSA policy is to have a trained Auror guarding any magical diplomat that visits,” protested Green. “The President is already upset that they chose to involve No-Maj personnel. Madam Jensen is only an archivist in the national wizarding library.”

“We know Maggie Jensen,” said a woman with green hair, as she approached them. “She has _specialist_ knowledge that you obviously don't.”

“{Hey Anna!}” called out a redhead in Spanish. “{I haven't seen you since I was fourteen!}”

Green noticed the Head Librarian was fussing over a baby that was cradled in the redhead's arms.

“{Holy Saint Mary!}” Rodriguez exclaimed. “{Mizuchi! I didn't think _you_ would have a baby. Did you adopt one?}”

“Violet isn't adopted,” Mizuchi went back to speaking English. “She's part of why the two bills we're signing at the UN building are so important. The wizards can keep their 'Statute of Secrecy' as much as they please. The rest of us shouldn't have to skulk around, hiding from everybody.”

===//===

The reactions to the signing of the Extraspecies Protection Act, and the Interspecies Cultural Exchange Program Act, varied.

**Japan, Top Floor of Takahashi Import-Export** (Totally a legitimate business, honest)

“{Lord Takahashi, sir!}” A woman wearing traditional Shinobi attire appeared next to Hiroshi's dining table.

“{Tanaka, dear}” Hiroshi replied wearily. “{How many times have I told you to cut the theatrics, when my subordinates aren't here.}”

“{But it's fun,}” giggled Tanaka. “{I have news from our various contacts regarding anything that might affect our business dealings.}” She handed over a copy of an English newspaper.

\--

**_COUNCIL SELLS AVALON_ **

_The Surrey City council has finally found a buyer for the Avalon botanical gardens facility. The controversial property, seized from its previous owners due to their declaration of bankruptcy, has been bought by Oborozuka Pixie Sports Association. Representatives of the Association's President, Yuki Yousei, have assured this reporter that the only modifications that will be made to the property will be building a private residence, restoring the neglected property to its former condition, and adding a public library. They will also be donating sporting equipment, suitable for young children, for the adjacent sports clubs._

–-

Hiroshi tried not to laugh. “{That name has to be fake.}”

“{Our contact thought so too.}” Tanaka agreed. “{He uh, 'investigated' the company's paperwork, and the Association's 'president' signs her name as 'Kobayashi Yuki' on all of the official paperwork. The company's Head Office is listed as being in Oborozuka.}”

“{Why is that significant? The name could still be false.}”

“{Yamada says that the listed address is a forest, with a reputation for being haunted. He's going to investigate further. Look at the names on our UN contact's report.}”

Hiroshi looked at the second pile of paperwork in front of him. “{So? She has a vested interest in protecting Extraspecies rights, just like we do.}” He looked further down the document. “{Wait... This 'Mizuchi O'Reilly' also signs using the Kobayashi family name.}”

“{Look at who they represent.}”

Hiroshi looked at the accompanying photographs of the various signatories, and gasped. “{Someone other than my father took the time to teach a Fairy Queen how to read and write?}” he looked at the rest of the accompanying photos. “{Vampire, dryad, fairy, fae, lamia, oni, harpy, dragonewt, centaur, kobold... wow! They convinced an arachne to sign. ...hold on... they wouldn't have two dragonewts sign.}” His eyes widened in surprise. “{A dragon has finally broken the curse, and was able to assume human form!}”

“{Discreet questioning says that she was never afflicted by the curse.}”

“{She is rather pretty for a giant fire-breathing reptile.}” observed one of the bodyguards in the room.

“{Ice.}” Tanaka corrected. “{The dryad, who is apparently the dragon's lover, mentioned the dragon is a Frost Dragon.}”

“{Ragnarok...}” whispered Hiroshi. “{There must be something important in that forest in Oborozuka. Have Yamada investigate the forest more thoroughly. _Without making enemies of the wrong people._ In the meantime, help our daughter to pack. Remember what the seer told us. 'Our family's fate is tied to Ragnarok'. I didn't understand the meaning at the time. We're taking a trip to England.”

**In a house in Surrey**

A thin woman nursed her newborn son, while her overweight husband complained about an article in his newspaper. “Look at this, Petunia,” the man complained. “The council sold that eyesore to some foreign outfit, instead of finding a British buyer. What sort of stupid, foreign thing is 'pixie sports' anyway?”

“Maybe it's something to encourage toddlers into soccer and cricket,” said the woman. “I bet my Duddykins will be a famous sports player when he grows up. He might even be Captain for the English team.”

“I suppose,” he grumbled. “It might be foreign, but at least it isn't some freak thing.”

He then skipped completely past the 'world news' section of the paper to look at the sports results, completely missing the article about the signing of two UN Acts.

 

**A log cabin in Canada**

Patrick O'Reilly helped his wife out of the passenger side of his pick-up, when a voice called out.

“Pat, Val! While you were dropping supplies of to the Jotun village, they announced something big!”

Val placed her weight on her cane, and walked up to the small group that had gathered near their home. “Vinnie!” she called out. “How many foil hat wearers did you fend off at the cryptozoology museum today?”

Vincent handed over part of a newspaper. “Surprisingly few,” he replied. “It was mostly reporters trying to get our opinion on this. One of them worked for us, and supplied me with a coloured copy of the photo.” He pulled a photograph out of his pocket.

Patrick gasped. “Apart from the weird headgear, she looks like a red-haired version of you, Val.”

One of the others snickered. “Read the caption on the paper.”

“Mizuchi O'Reil... Dear Gods!” Val exclaimed.

Vincent looked to his two friends. “This young woman has managed, with two sets of UN bills, to provide legal protections for all the Extraspecies tribes our organisation and others have been protecting, and provided a way for Extraspecies and 'regular' humans to learn about each other.”

The one that snickered before chimed in. “Seamus phoned while you were away. Apparently she's your granddaughter, from the future. She's coming up here with her family some time tomorrow.”

 

**Ministry of Magic, Britain**

The Wizengamot summarily dismissed the petition of Auror Bones, without even reading anything about it. “Who cares about the comings and goings of a Muggle organisation in America.”

Bones shook his head in frustration at the stupidity of British wizards. _If they're going to wilfully ignore something this important, and turn a blind eye to the Order of the Phoenix's actions against He-who-should-not be-named, maybe I can go behind their backs, and work with UNIT and ICEP._

**MACUSA senate building, New York**

Representatives of the various Magical Governments except, unsurprisingly, Britain were going over transcripts of the UN announcement.

“They didn't specifically mention the existence of the wizarding world, which means we can't accuse them of breaching the Statute of Secrecy. However, do we really want half-breeds and magical creatures to be 'protected' my No-Majes?”

“It will significantly reduce the resources we have been expending on keeping them a secret. Also, the way O'Reilly worded the announcement, we're actually protected by the very same Acts. The 'various hidden communities' are not obligated to reveal themselves to the world at large, and she even outright stated that there were some peoples whose lives could be endangered by revealing themselves.”

“The way the ...Persian?”

“Iranian”

“Right, the No-Maj version of the area is split. The Iranian delegate got violent, when O'Reilly revealed she was a dragon. The Iraqi delegate had to restrain them.”

“I heard that two or three of the dragons at Gringotts have had their curses partially broken.”

“The fact that there is a dragon that isn't under the influence of the curse at all is also significant.”

“What do you mean?”

“If even one or two dragons at the sanctuaries can have their curses reduced or removed, the handlers will be better able to look after and protect them.”

“We may need to invest in this 'ICEP' thing, even if it's only as silent partners. Think of it as a long-term investment in our childrens' futures, especially with that trouble happening in Britain.”

“True. If they're targeting First-gens, how long will it be before they target Dormants and Half-bloods?

===//===

**Canada**

Pat looked awkwardly at the red haired girl sitting opposite him. Val was already making goo-goo eyes, and cooing at the baby the green haired girl was holding. After Jim's bombshell the day before, Pat had been in a little bit of a daze. _I have a **granddaughter**. And she's a **Dragon.** _

“Um, so... my brother knew about you for nearly a year, and didn't say anything?” Pat asked.

“More like couldn't,” replied Mizuchi. “The conditions of his employment with UNIT meant that he could only talk about the centaur tribe that you both already knew about.”

“He did mention being reassigned to a location closer to their village,” Pat replied. “So you're military?”

“Actually, I'm technically civilian,” she replied. “Mother had named Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart as mine and Hiroshi's Godfather, which is why we were able to make part of our family's property into a UNIT facility.

“We have property in England?” Val looked up from her great-granddaughter. “I thought my ship fell into a parallel world.”

“It did,” replied Fern. “This subset of parallel worlds was probably easier for your damaged FTL to jump to because your grandmother, Titania, travelled here when she was younger. We've been finding that alternate realities that family have been to are easier to travel to.”

“I've been here before during my explorations of L-Space,” said Mizuchi. “One of Hiroshi's wives is actually from a different time-period of this world. She got lost in L-Space, when hiding in her library, from witch-hunters. She emerged on another version of Earth, in the middle of the 1899 Martian invasion. I brought her back to the safety of Mother's place.”

“And she promptly fell for your brother,” Fern chimed in. “If Valhalla is a real place, Odin is going to have to make an exception to the 'dying in bed' thing, because one day Hiroshi is going to die a hero's death, bedding all four of his wives at once.”

“Four wives?” Val was confused. “Is that even legal?”

“Amendments were made to marriage laws of several countries, on our version of Earth.” replied Mizuchi. “because of the number of female-only races, the ratio of males to females isn't roughly half and half. It's closer to one male per four females. Technically, his marriage was only 'illegal' was because the five of them were under-age. He was fifteen when he knocked up Renata and Ventris, and the 'arrangement' could no longer remain under the radar. The paperwork ICEP fast-tracked is worded so that the marriage is legal the moment he turns eighteen.”

“So, my grandson is a player,” observed Pat. “Are all dragons like that? Is yours and Fern's husband also in a multiple wedding?”

Tinkling laughter came from the fairy-like being on Mizuchi's shoulder. She flew down, and placed the small piece of fruit she was eating onto Mizuchi's plate. Mizuchi stroked the tiny woman's hair affectionately. “Hiroshi isn't a dragon. I'm a dragon due to a unique combination of genetics, and overexposure to magic while in the womb.”

“The laws on multiple marriage are understandably strict,” Fern continued. “Mainly to stop certain unscrupulous people from acquiring a bunch of concubines, or sex-slaves. The women all have to consent, obviously, and there's a maximum of one woman from a dimorphic race allowed.”

“Dimorphic?” Pat asked.

“A race that has both males and females,” Mizuchi clarified. “That's humans, elves, kobolds, and several others. There are a lot of races that are female-only, such as lamiaii, arachne, and dryads. The way the law is written up, someone who is only into females, such as myself can legally enter a marriage with another female, as long as as least one member of the union is from a female only race. Little Violet is mine and Fern's biological daughter. Fern altered the spores she uses to help her hornet-pixies to conceive.”

Val traced over the face of her sleeping great-granddaughter. She had tiny fern-like leaves for hair. They were mostly red, but with leaf-green tips. She was sucking the 'thumb' on one of her wings, and there were two tiny horns starting to bud near her temples. To a casual observer, the infant would only pass for a regular human if her wings were hidden. The only thing that would otherwise cause a second glance was the birthmark over her right eye, that extended from her forehead to her cheek. It was an electric-blue snowflake. “She has the same birthmark as I do.”

“Makes sense,” replied Mizuchi. “My world's version of Grandpa Pat said you were a Yuki-onna. Most of our extended family are from different parallel worlds, and Aunt Astrid is also a Yuki-onna. She married an Ifriit, by the way. You're part of a very large extended family now.”

There was a knock on the door, and Vincent ran inside. “Pat! Val! There's trouble in town! Some guy figured out Constable Lyon's wife was an Aralune! The police are trying to stop a mob, brandishing bibles from dragging her out of the police station.”

Mizuchi and Fern stood up, and rainbow-coloured runic circles began to orbit their bodies. They were suddenly wearing beige and black tactical gear. Vincent stepped back in surprise.

“Yuki,” Mizuchi ordered. “Please guard Violet.” Several hornet-pixies wielding fairy-sized assault rifles materialised in the room. Fern drew a combat shotgun from a holster on her back, and Mizuchi materialised a halberd into her right hand. “As the Head of ICEP, it looks like I'm going to have to help back up local law enforcement.


	18. Chapter 18

Outside interference

Chapter 17

**A Prison in the Greater London Area**

Jensen looked around the room. He was mildly curious as to why the warden had 'asked' for himself to join this particular group. He was a Lifer, while the rest of the inmates in the room were due for parole and/or release within the next few months, even Langton, who he personally thought had family bribe the parole board. Lifers don't get called in for 'special programmes'. Ever. He was lucky he was allowed to work a few days a week in the library.

The room itself held no real significance. It was just a 'general purpose room' between the library and the Chaplain's office. Jensen had chosen a chair with a clear view down the corridor towards the Warden's office.

“Anyone have any idea why we're here?” Langton asked.

“The screws aren't even sure,” replied Kilroy, from his chair at the back of the room.

“Looks like we'll be finding out soon enough,” commented Jensen, looking down the corridor.

Jensen stood up, and craned his neck to see what Jensen was looking at. He gave a low whistle of appreciation. “Where have you been all my life, beautiful?”

Walking down the corridor was a woman. She looked almost like any other female government office worker, except for the green hair, and the weird contraption on her left arm.

_Holy shit!_ Jensen thought. “Look at the guards,” he commented.

“What about the screws?” Langton replied. “They're always high-strung when escorting visitors.”

_They're afraid of the woman,_ Jensen thought. _Langton hasn't noticed. The guards twitch every time she makes certain movements._

The sound of the door adjoining the Chaplain's office opening shook Jensen from his thoughts.

“Why are they letting _that_ near any of God's people, even if they're criminals?” hissed the chaplain. Both Jensen and Langton noticed the filthy look on his face.

“Shake a man's world, and it's usually the man that breaks,” commented the woman's voice from the doorway. “Hello Pastor McReedy. I see you still haven't accepted that your little book is missing some key information.”

He threw the contents of a flask at her. “Back to the Pit with you, foul creature!”

“Holy water?” she commented sarcastically. “I'm a dryad, not a daemon. Even my two year old nieces know the difference.” It was then that Jensen realised the 'hair' on her head was actually leaves.

“What interest does a dryad have with us?” asked Langton. “Kilroy is the only one who knows anything about growing plants.”

“Isn't that why he's in here?” laughed one of the other occupants of the room.

The dryad turned towards the gathered inmates, pointedly ignoring the scowling chaplain. “My name is difficult for you lot to pronounce, unless you're Welsh, so you may call me Fern. I am currently Deputy Director of the Interspecies Cultural Exchange Program, and you all have skill-sets we're interested in.”

“The what?” Kilroy asked.

“Most of you won't have heard about it,” Fern replied. “The announcement was only made a few days ago, and they didn't really make a big deal about it. Basically, beings like myself are real, and not myths and legends. We're currently consolidating the support networks that protect the various 'hidden' communities, and are also hiring new staff.”

Looks of disbelief went around the room. “I can understand them being in the room,” said Jensen. “They're up for parole, and not many places will hire ex-convicts. But why am I here? I'm here for life.”

“Yes. For killing those kidnappers,” Fern commented. “You were recommended by a family associate. Consider yourself on parole. Your paperwork is already being processed.”

“I bet the Warden isn't happy about that,” Langton mused.

“He isn't,” Fern stated. “However, he has to deal with it.”

“But he's a murderer!” protested the chaplain.

“And they trafficked in human misery,” Fern replied. “Willingness to protect innocent life, even if you're going to get arrested for it later, is one of the qualities we're looking for.”

“What exactly are we going to be doing?” Langton asked. “Because I don't want to end up in some modern day Dirty Dozen. I'm only in here for some 'questionable' financial dealings.”

“Your primary duties will be mostly administration work,” Fern explained. “When we start running home-stay exchanges, your duties may be expanded to include checking on the well-being of guests of the program. Mr Kilroy, if you're still interested in horticulture, one of my pixies, Llif-Gadwyn, needs a human-sized groundskeeper to assist her swarm at the old Avalon botanical gardens.”

“...are you serious...” muttered one of the others in the room.

“Very,” Fern replied. “We are willing to hire you as members of ICEP, regardless of some of the questionable choices you've made in the past.”

“I'm talking about your pixie's name,” he commented. “I speak Welsh. There's no way a pixie would have a name like that.”

“They aren't all named after flowers,” replied Fern. “You'll have to let go of those kinds of racist stereotypes.”

===//===

**Avalon botanical gardens**

Mizuho Takahashi stepped off the bus, and walked towards the construction hut. There were workers offloading materials from a nearby truck. She could overhear scraps of conversation over the noise of the crane.

“...never would have thought to use...”

“...easily twice as strong as...”

Mizuho knocked on the hut's door.

“Enter,” said a female voice. It had a slightly tinny quality. Mizuho pushed open the door and was mildly surprised to see a fairy ...sort of... working at a miniature desk on top of the human-sized desk. “Can I help you?” her voice came from an apparatus near her that resembled an intercom. She could still hear the tinkling, buzzing that she was used to. The 'intercom' was obviously to adjust her speech to a frequency range that a human could properly hear.

“I was told I could find a Yuki Yousei at this location.” Mizuho answered.

“My swarm-sister is otherwise occupied. I'm Llif-Gadwyn Yousei,” she replied. “I'm assuming your visit has something to do with the person hiding behind your braids.”

“{You're not a fairy.}” said a voice, in Pixish, from near Mizuho's ear.

“{Hush, Sakura.}” Mizuho whispered.

“{No, I'm not.}” Llif-Gadwyn replied in Pixish. “{I can speak in Japanese, English, or Pixish. Whatever makes you feel more comfortable.}”

“{What exactly are you?}” asked Mizuho.

“{I'm a Hornet-pixie.}” she replied. “{I also happen to be Project Manager for the restoration of these gardens, and their associated support facilities.}”

Mizuho was surprised. “{You? A Project Manager?}”

“{What's so surprising?}” Llif-Gadwyn replied. “{Is it because I'm fairy-kin, or female?}”

“{She has a point, Miss Mizuho.}” said Sakura “{Until your Grandmother came along, nobody even considered the possibility my tribe could read or write.}”

There was a knock at the door, and a workman's head popped into the doorway. “Boss, your girls sent me to get you. There's a tribe of fairies holed-up in one of the old outbuildings.”

Llif-Gadwyn sighed. “Armed?”

“Doesn't look like it,” he replied. “Of course you never know.”

“Mizuho, Sakura, you're welcome to follow us, but it would probably be safer to wait here,” the pixie commented. “There's a kitchenette inside that closet.”

===//===

**UNIT training centre, Geneva**

Lethbridge-Stewart was starting to get a migraine. Currently half of the officers in the room were arguing with the other half. Amongst the many topics being 'discussed' included various officers already knowing about the existence of extraspecies, and keeping quiet about them. A couple of them were nervously glancing over at Mizuchi. The jury was still out as to whether it was because she was a dragon, or because she looked like a curvy teenager.

**_::Ting!::Ting!::Ting!::_ **

The chairman of the UNIT officer's meeting tried vainly to bring the room to order.

**“====--=----=!!!!”** everyone, except Mizuchi, clamped their hands to their ears. “Bzz tzzz btzz....”

Lethbridge-Stewart and Mizuchi looked on in amusement, as Yuki lectured everyone in the room. When the static from her whistle cleared from the translator unit in his ear, he could make out what she was saying.

“It could be a couple of minutes before Yuki realises they can't understand a word she's saying,” Mizuchi placed a small flask in front of him. “This should help with the migraine.”

“She's doing a reasonable job, with just her body-language,” whispered the Norwegian officer on Mizuchi's right. “Having four arms must come in useful sometimes.”

“She has a point,” Mizuchi raised her voice to the room. “You're acting like little children. Stop arguing over who kept what secret from whom. Most of you run covert-ops squadrons. What we need to be concentrating on is providing protection for the various Hidden communities that will definitely be in danger. You know which ones those will be.”

“The Middle Eastern ones,” drawled one of the Americans.

“Actually, the ones in the USA are more likely to be targets,” said Mizuchi. “There are lots uneducated religious zealots in the area you lot call 'the bible belt' and the majority of extraspecies in the USA are relatively harmless. Yes, the communities in the Middle East will need some back-up, of course. However, the majority of the zealots over there lack the technology and training to go head to head with some of the more venomous extraspecies tribes.”

“That's true,” agreed an Egyptian officer. “We actually employ Cobra-variant Lamiaii, and ...how would you say... scorpion centaurs? Our Harpy scouts might not be venomous, but have a rather nasty kick.”

“We do the same in Jordan,” replied another officer. “We also have Viper-variant Lamiaii.”

A Mongolian officer raised his hand. “Centaurs.”

Over the next few minutes, it was revealed that almost every single nation already had long-standing arrangements with their various extraspecies communities. Most of it was non-military in nature, mainly as farmhands, and a few officers admitted that they turned a blind eye to some of the under-the-table employment some of the tribes had with their neighbouring towns/villages. When one of the officers asked for elaboration, Mizuchi turned to him. “Some extraspecies, such as Minotaurs and Pan-fauns produce milk, even if they've never been pregnant. Orphanages have been known to hire them as wet-nurses.”

Several officers' faces suddenly went deadpan, and a couple of others went red with embarrassment.

===//===

_...There are several distinct subspecies of Lamia. They are not just 'magical creatures with the upper body of a woman, and the lower half of a snake'. Many of them have distinct attributes, such as Cobra-variant Lamiaii being able to spit venom. A further, formerly unknown, piece of information is that, while most Lamiaii give birth to live young, those with the attributes of magical serpents lay eggs instead._

_During the months spent at Cassiopeia Station, I was able to witness the family-dynamics of an adult, and an infant, Basilisk-variant Lamia. Infants are taught from a very young age to use caution around others, both because of their potent venom, and their petrifying gaze. Ironically their psychology is the reverse of the hyper-aggressive Basilisk we are familiar with. Other differences include being immune to the call of the rooster, and being social creatures...._

_Extract from the 1980 Edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.  
(Edition banned in Britain) _


	19. Chapter 19

Outside Interference

Chapter 18

**Early August, The lake behind Sturmdrachen Manor**

Amelia, Mizuchi, and Fern were sitting on a blanket, eating a picnic lunch. Mizuchi was discreetly feeding her infant daughter.

“I can't believe they treated you like that,” Amelia sounded indignant. “Was it because you remained friends with Severus?”

“Partially,” replied Mizuchi. “I think they were more annoyed that these,” she flapped her wings and twitched her tail, “are my own choice, and not the result of some magic accident.” Her voice went sarcastic. “Dragons are dark creatures.”

Amelia raised an eyebrow. “That's rich, given that Sirius is from a 'Dark' family.” 

“Not that Dark,” commented Mizuchi. “Regulus didn't take Voldy's mark. By the way, neither did Severus.”

Amelia looked sad. “Regulus is disowned by now, if word got to his parents.”

Mizuchi laughed. “Good bloody thing the portraits of former Headmaster Black are linked. Walburga was about to blast Regulus from the Black family tree, when Orion found out from the portrait 'a powerful sorcerer' had chosen to initiate Regulus into a secret organisation, with the potential for untold magical knowledge.”

“You told him about that library thing that you, Fern, Yuki, and Madame Pince occasionally whisper about, right?” Amelia commented. she then turned to face Fern. “Speaking of family, what happened to you? You look like you're a few months pregnant.”

Fern blushed. “Something went wrong with my flowering cycle. Violet is going to have a little sister. ...well, half-sister. Llif-Gadwyn was as surprised as I was. The gestation of Hornet-pixies is normally restricted to a Dryad Queen's flowers, and generally only lasts a couple of weeks.”

“So, when are you due?” Amelia asked.

“I'm guessing late October, early November, given the rate of gestation,” commented Fern. “Hopefully by then, the new recruits and logistics staff should be trained up enough that we won't have to be on call 24/7 for dealing with the modern version of the torch-and-pitchfork brigade.”

“Grandpa Pat and Grandma Val told me the number of foil-hat wearers has significantly decreased,” said Mizuchi.

“Foil-hat wearers?” Amelia commented. “I'm kind of afraid to ask.”

“Some muggle conspiracy theorists believe that a layer of aluminium foil covering your head stops your mind from being read,” laughed Mizuchi.

Amelia laughed. “That doesn't stop Legillimency.”

“The look on that guy's face, when Mizuchi told them she could read their minds anyway, and the foil just made it easier to cook their brain with the power of her mind was priceless,” commented Fern.

Amelia was rolling on the ground. “You two are evil,” she gasped out between fits of laughter.

===//===

 

**Just outside of Ottery St Catchpole**

Aaron Roberts stared idly out of the window on the bus, while he tried to tune out the grumbling and griping of some of the other ex-Torchwood members that were with him.

“You'd think they'd consider themselves lucky,” whispered McLaren in the neighbouring seat. “In our line of work, if the department is disbanded, the staff is 'retired' instead of transferred.”

“I'm still not entirely sure what we're getting into,” he quietly replied. “I mean, at least half of the people on this bus are administration. Why would they be including field agents with administration staff?”

“I suppose we'll find out soon enough. Ottery St Catchpole is just ahead.”

The bus pulled up next to the small petrol station of the not-quite-town, and everyone disembarked. Roberts looked around, taking in the group's surroundings. Across the road was the 'typical' country police station. There were two officers, drinking either tea or coffee, sitting at a small table on the building's front porch. They were chatting with a young man in a beige and black version of their uniform.

_Must be private security for one of the manor houses we passed,_ he thought.

The sound of children's laughter drew his attention, and he looked towards the nearby playground. There was a small group of women, one in a maid's uniform, some holding strollers, chatting on a bench and half-watching the children on the various equipment.

One of the women called out “Fred! George! If you fall off those monkey bars and break your legs, don't come running to me!”

Roberts' and McLaren's eyes were automatically drawn to the monkey bars, to see a pair of red-haired twin boys swinging off the bars.

“How did they get up there?” McLaren asked. “They can't be much older than two years old.”

“It probably has something to do with the other set of twins,” Roberts replied, with a slight quaver in his voice.

“WHAT THE FUCK!?” shouted one of the field agents from behind them.

_Looks like I'm not the only person who saw the Arachne twins,_ thought Roberts. _O'Hare spotted them too. Oh! And there's a blonde one playing with a Lamia in the sandpit._

“There are young children within earshot,” said a calm male voice near the bus. The young man from the police station walked into view. “Given that you're all ex-Torchwood, I would have thought that you would be prepared for the fact sentient life is more ...diverse.. on Earth, than was commonly believed.”

He then gestured with his arms. “This is one of three trial integrated communities. It was established because there were already a few Extraspecies settlements close by. I'm Lieutenant O'Reilly, and if you lot are going to be working for ICEP, you'll need to get used to the fact that Torchwood was founded during a time when anything 'different' was still a threat to Queen and Country.”

“Hi Daddy!” waved one of the Arachne, from the park.  
O'Reilly waved back. “Hi Charlotte! Play nice with the others!”

“The two red-haired Arachne are yours?” asked McLaren.

There was a chuckle from one of the police officers that followed O'Reilly. “Not just those two. All three Arachne, the Lamia, and the two in the stroller next to the maid are Hiroshi's kids.”

The other officer draped a friendly arm over O'Reilly's shoulder. “Listen to this guy. He may be young, but he's a damn good instructor.”

“What can that kid possibly teach us? How to bed monster girls?” grumbled O'Hare. “I could take him with one hand behind my back.”

The two officers glanced at each other and stepped back.

“They know something we don't,” McLaren whispered to Roberts. “Let's see how this plays out.” The rest of the group subconsciously stepped away from O'Hare. Roberts noticed money already changing hands. _It figures,_ McLaren thought. _They were betting on how long it would take for O'Hare to try and establish himself as 'Alpha' with the new CO._

“No firearms,” said one of the officers. Hiroshi handed his assault rifle and sidearm to the officer.

“Someone picked a fight with Daddy!” called out a voice from the playground.

McLaren and Roberts noticed the adults vainly try to distract the children from the 'upcoming entertainment' that was about to happen.

“What are you waiting for, a written invitation?” O'Hare taunted. “Your freak kids can watch me kick your arse.”

“Oops,” whispered both police officers.

It was over in less than fifteen seconds. O'Hare swung his fist at O'Reilly's face, and all of a sudden he was on the ground, with his right elbow bent the wrong way.

“Lesson one,” he said. “Some of the people you will be interacting with on a regular basis know and accept that relations between humans and extraspecies won't be super-friendly from the start. However, they will take issue with you insulting their children.”

“No shit,” muttered one of the others.

Roberts felt something brush past his knee. Looking down, he saw the blonde Arachne. She looked down at O'Hare. “Daddy went easy on you.” She then looked up at McLaren, and blinked each of her three pairs of eyes in turn. “You need to learn about magic. How did the wizards not find you?”

===//===

**Buckingham Palace, Halloween Night**

Elizabeth double-checked her light machine-gun, while the staff reinforced the barricades. Most of the Royal family had been evacuated to safe locations, and the SAS had sent extra troops to reinforce the Palace Guards, to keep up the illusion that she was ignorant about the 'potential terrorist attack' was actually a splinter group of rogue wizards, intent on disrupting the smooth running of the country.

She looked either side of her, at the two women that were assigned as her bodyguards. Their beige and black tactical armour identified them as SRTs from the newly-formed ICEP. From the briefing materials she was given, they were from a race called 'Psiren'. She chuckled quietly to herself, as she looked at their black feathers. _That Dragon is very astute for someone under twenty._ “The Royal Family will fall when the last raven leaves the castle, indeed,” she whispered.

“The boss thought you'd appreciate the gesture,” commented the one on her right, as both Psirens primed their subcarbines.

The magic wards around the palace collapsed, and all hell broke out.

“FOR QUEEN AND COUNTRY!” chorused everyone in the room, as dark-cloaked figures found out the hard way orichalcum-tipped bullets are unaffected by the Protego spell.

===//===

The aftermath took several days to clear up.

There were reports of 'terrorist' incidents throughout the Greater London area, mostly around Downing Street, and Buckingham Palace. Several civilians were killed, when a suicide bomber's device detonated prematurely, not far from UNIT's London offices. Survivors reported that a man called Sirius Black was apprehended by MI5 agents. He was still laughing maniacally as they restrained him. A house in the small village of Godric's Hollow was found destroyed, with police reports initially pointing towards a gas explosion, until some locals mentioned that they thought one of the residents was a police detective, flagging the report to be added to the analysis folder.

===//===

**Around five years later**

“Those roses would grow better if you had mixed those fish guts into the fertiliser instead of putting them in the bin.”

Harry turned to see one of the 'weird' girls from school sitting on the hedge bordering the undeveloped part of the Estate his Aunt's house was part of. “H-hello, Violet.” He greeted the girl nervously, staring at her hair. It was a curious mix of red and green. “I-I shouldn't associate with you. Uncle Vernon said people who dye their hair are nothing but delinquents.”

“It's not dyed,” she replied.

“Besides that, that Dursley kid says you're a delinquent,” said another girl's voice from behind the hedge. It had to be the other 'weird' girl, Juniper.

“Don't forget 'freak'. He uses that word a lot too,” Violet commented.

Just as Harry was about to tell them to buzz off, he actually heard a buzzing noise from where Juniper's voice came from. Harry's mouth dropped, as Juniper rose into the air, and landed on the hedge next to Violet. The buzzing noise had come from a giant set of insect wings coming from her back. As she brushed her purple hair away from her face, Harry suddenly realised Juniper had four arms. “How come I've never noticed the extra arms at school?” Harry asked. “Or the wings?”

“An interesting fact about humans, is they are generally unobservant,” said Juniper. “The light cloaks we wear in school also help to hide wings and stuff. No one noticed my extra eyes, or my sister's horns.”

Harry suddenly realised Violet's 'hair clips' were actually a small pair of horns.

Harry's face looked like he was trying to put two and two together, and kept getting 'five'. “Wait... you two are sisters? You look nothing alike.”

“Yeah, genetics is a weird lottery,” Violet replied. “You can tell my cousins are all related to each other at a glance, even with their different racial traits.”

“BOY! ARE YOU SLACKING OFF?” called a voice from inside the house.

“No Aunt Petunia!” Harry replied.

The back door burst open. A thin woman, who looked like she was permanently ready to complain about something stood in the doorway.

_++That must be what Aunt Galadriel means by RBF++_ Violet prompted telepathically to Juniper.

“What are you doing on my hedge?” she grumbled. The girls could feel the hostility radiating from her.

“Good afternoon, Mrs Dursley,” Violet greeted in her 'talking politely to adults' voice. “We had heard wonderful things about your roses, and wanted to see them for ourselves.”

Taking her cue from her older sister, Juniper continued. “We didn't want to trample such a well manicured lawn, which is why we are on the hedge. It's not like we can see over the hedge without flying.”

The woman's left eye twitched for a moment. “People cannot fly! Boy! Get inside. You know the rule about talking about that sort of thing! As for you two, what are your parents' phone numbers? I need to have a word with your fathers about your attitudes.” She glanced at their heads. “Girls your age shouldn't be dying their hair, either.”

Violet explained they were sisters, and rattled off a telephone number, including a switchboard extension. She then used Fern's 'correct' name as the contact person. She smirked at her sister, when they were out of the woman's line of sight.

Juniper looked at her sister. _++Did you just give her Mum's direct line to the ICEP office?++_

_++Yes. We could both see Harry is too skinny for a human. I just picked up his Aunt's surface thoughts. The moment we leave, she's going to lock him in the cleaning cupboard without any food. Remember that stuff about abuse and neglect we were taught to look out for.++_


	20. Chapter 20

Outside Interference

Chapter 19

Juniper and Violet carefully laid out the picnic blanket, before unpacking the 'basket' their lunches were in (really a miniaturised, runically-powered refrigerator, with a dimensionally engineered interior). After what happened with their lunches the day before, their parents decided to 'opt out' of the school's lunch program.

“Violet, on your eight,” Juniper whispered.

Violet looked where her sister indicated. Harry, from her class, was trying to find somewhere that he could eat his lunch without being spotted. “It's like watching a rabbit,” she whispered. Then she saw what he had to 'eat' for his lunch. 

“Is he talking to that snake?” Juniper asked.

“Finish unpacking the food. I'll be back in a moment.” Violet walked towards the boy, with a determined look on her face.

Harry thought he had found a place where no one could see that all he had for his lunch were the crusts Aunt Petunia had cut from Dudley's sandwiches, when the snake next to him hissed a warning, and a shadow loomed over him, causing Harry to involuntarily flinch.

“{Ssorry Sspeaker. Sshe didn't ssmell dangerouss.}”

Violet's hearts nearly broke. _How could someone the same age as she was be so scared of people? Sure I'm technically a 'scary' dragon, but Harry's behaviour appears to have been ingrained over years of expecting violence._ “Harry, come sit with Juniper and myself.” Harry reluctantly followed, looking like someone expecting to be ambushed at any second.

Juniper offered a sandwich toward him. “Here. You need more than crusts.”

Misinterpreting his reluctance, Violet levitated a sandwich from a different, larger, stack. “If you don't like honey, this one is roast beef.”

Harry looked from Violet to the floating sandwich and back again, a look of shock on his face. “H-how are you doing that?”

“Magic,” Violet and Juniper commented off-handedly, as if it was an everyday occurrence.

“Magic isn't real,” Harry replied automatically. His body-language indicating it had literally been beaten into him.

“If you say so,” said Juniper. “The offer of sharing our lunch is still there, regardless.” Harry grabbed the sandwich and ate it like he hadn't eaten in several days. From how thin he was, he probably hadn't.

“Why do you have so much food?” he asked between mouthfuls.

“Higher caloric requirements than regular humans,” replied Violet. She had already demolished eight sandwiches, and Juniper was half-way through her fourth. “You should see my mother demolish the equivalent of half a cow for a midnight snack.”

**“IT'S HARRY HUNTING TIME!!"** shouted Dudley from the other side of the school courtyard. Harry turned quickly, and suddenly vanished with a loud CRACK!

Violet teleported their empty lunch things back home, and both sisters stood up.

“Where's the freak, weirdo?” demanded Dudley.

“The bug and the whatever-she-is probably doesn't know which one you're talking to,” sniggered Polkiss.

“If we knew, we still wouldn't tell you,” said Juniper.

“Maybe we should go on a bug hunt,” threatened Polkiss.

“Try it, and you'll need an epi-pen the size of a baseball bat,” Juniper countered, extending her stinger from her sub-abdomen, and causing Polkiss to step back.

“Polkiss, what the hell?” Dudley commented. “There are twenty of-- EEP!” Violet was suddenly in his face.

**_PEEEP!!_ ** “Break it up kids!” called the duty teacher. “Now, or I'll call your parents.”

“This isn't over,” whispered Dudley as he pretended to back away. 

===//===

**_::ding dong ding::_** _“Roger Chaney, Juniper ...Dwall... ...Daill... ..Doo-alley-fern, Violet O'Reilly, please report to the Principal's office.”_

Miss Smith shook her head slightly. “She should put more effort into pronouncing the students' names before using the PA system. "Miss Dwllphyrn, go see what the Principal wants.” _Although it's obviously something to do with her being one of the Extraspecies kids,_ she thought.

Juniper stood up. “Yes, Miss Smith.”

“Maybe they're selling her to a zoo,” came a barely-concealed whisper from the back of the room.

“Mae hynny'n gyfoethog, yn dod o gefndir rhywun o'ch teulu,”replied Juniper.

“Juniper,” warned Miss Smith. “Don't sink to their level. I know your family raised you better than that.”

“Sorry Miss Smith,” replied Juniper. Miss Smith couldn't be sure if the girl's apology was genuine, as her body-language didn't quite match up with other six-year-olds. The pure red of all four of Juniper's eyes meant that she couldn't see the tell-tale shift of the eyes to the side that normally happens when kids lie. Juniper placed her books in her desk drawer, and left the classroom. As the door opened, she could briefly hear the Dursley boy taunting Miss O'Reilly from the other classroom.

Doesn't that boy have an 'inside voice' at all? Miss Smith wondered.

===//===

Roger walked down the hallway. He spotted the two six-year-old girls as they each left their classrooms, the taunts of the fat kid practically echoed. “Darn, that kid's loud,” he commented.

“My hearing is probably more sensitive than yours,” commented the girl on the left. “At least his friend, Polkiss, knows to lower his voice when he's inside. I don't think Dursley has ever had his behaviour corrected by his parents at any time during his life.”

“The sooner we get to the office, the sooner we find out what the Principal wants,” said the other girl. She looked towards Roger. “Does she regularly check up on the Extraspecies students?”

“There wasn't any real need for the last few years, because I can pass for human.” replied Roger. “So which one of you is Violet, and which one is Juniper?”

“I'm Violet,” commented the girl on the left. “Which, by deduction, makes my sister Juniper.”

“You're sisters?” he asked in surprise. “But you look so different, and have different last names.”

“Our Mums are different races,” replied Juniper. She hovered slightly off the floor and rotated face Roger, while still moving down the hall. “Stupid UK birth certificates, and their 'if you don't have the name of the father, you default to the birth mother's name' rule.”

“But you're sisters,” replied Roger. “If your mothers are different races, you obviously have the same Dad.”

Violet raised an eyebrow, and shook her head. “We know exactly who our parents are. The Registry of Births, Deaths,and Marriages doesn't recognise when two females produce a child. They haven't updated the layout of their documents.”

“We're here,” Juniper commented, as she set herself back down. She knocked on the door.

“Come in you three,” said the Principal. The three children entered the office. They saw there was a man with a clipboard standing just behind her.

“Hello children. My name is Mr Peters,” said the man. “I was asked by the government to talk to you about a few things.”

“What sort of things?” Roger asked nervously.

“You're the first three Extraspecies students outside of the integrated communities, and we need to know a few things,” replied Peters.

“Four,” whispered Juniper. Realisation bloomed on Violet's face.

“Harry,” she replied. “Does he even know? No wonder he thought his name was 'Freak' on our first day.”

“Is he like me, and looks like a regular human most of the time?” asked Roger.

“What are you three talking about?” asked the Principal.

“We think Harry Potter, from my class is also Extraspecies,” replied Juniper. “He can talk to snakes, and I felt him manipulate subspace.”

The adults suddenly appeared to be in a trance.

“Harry Potter is just a delinquent child,” monotoned the Principal. “He was on the kitchen roof as a prank.”

Peters was the first to start blinking. “Juniper, Violet, it is only the second day of the school year, and we received this letter requesting for us to remove you from the school's lunch program. Why does it have both of you mentioned together on the letter?”

“Because we're both sisters,” Violet replied. “It didn't make sense to send two separate letters.”

“Why would your parents... guardians?... there are three signatures here... Why would they withdraw you from the program?”

“The food is inadequate for our dietary needs,” replied Juniper. “Names one and two are my biological parents, and names two and three are my sister's.”

“Balderdash!” exclaimed the Principal. “We have worked comprehensively with nutritionists to provide good food for all of our students' dietary requirements.”

“Human requirements,” replied Violet. “Juniper needs about twice the caloric intake of a regular human, and I need about four times as much. Five or six, if I've used magic.”

The adults went into a trance again.

“Harry Potter is just a delinquent child,” monotoned the Principal. “He was on the kitchen roof as a prank.”

_++Magic?++_

_++Magic.++_

_++We need to call Mum.++_

_++We need to call ICEP. If this school is compromised, it isn't safe for any Extraspecies that happens to be here. Watch.++_ “Magic.”

“Harry Potter is just a delinquent child,” monotoned the Principal. “He was on the kitchen roof as a prank.”

_**++ForestDragon01:** Mum. The school has been compromised with some sort of mind manipulation enchantments._

_**++CryoDragonPrime:** Give me fifteen seconds. _

A rainbow-coloured runic circle appeared in the air between the two sisters, and Mizuchi stepped through.

The Principal startled. “Oh, Mrs O'Reilly. Where did you come from?”

Mizuchi removed her glasses, and looked around the room. Even though the woman was wearing a very fetching light blue dress, Peters stepped back, as his every instinct screamed 'Alpha Predator'.

“Multi-layered spell-ward array, designed to hide the magical signature of a particular individual.”

“Harry Potter is just a delinquent child,” monotoned the Principal. “He was on the kitchen roof as a prank.”

“Obviously sloppily constructed, as whoever set the wards up didn't allow for the possibility of another spellcaster being enrolled.”

“Harry Potter is just a delinquent child,” monotoned the Principal. “He was on the kitchen roof as a prank.”

Mizuchi looked out of the office window. “What the [translation unavailable]”

“Mum!”/”Mother!” exclaimed both girls.

“There are ward-nodes networked throughout the entire area. Whoever placed these camouflaged them quite well. I'm impressed that I couldn't see these until I was inside.” Mizuchi started to examine the wards.

The girls turned towards the sound of running feet coming towards them, and Juniper opened the office door, to see Harry being chased by a dozen boys. Violet cast a Gate spell directly in Harry's path, and dispelled it the moment he appeared in the office. Juniper confirmed that the 'hunting party' hadn't spotted them, and closed the office door.

Mizuchi looked towards the newcomer in the room. “It all makes sense now.” Harry cowered from the six-foot woman. “Hello little one,” she spoke quietly. “I won't hurt you.”

Harry looked up into a set of green, reptilian eyes, and spoke on instinct. “{Pleasse don't hurt me!}”

Mizuchi glanced over at her daughters. _++He's a reptile-speaker?++_

_++He was speaking to a snake earlier today.++_ replied Violet.

“Why would I hurt you?” the woman's voice was slightly different. “You're not food, and you're not harming myself or my children.”

Violet's eyes widened. “Alpha? Why isn't Prime driving?”

“Prime is analysing this fascinating ward-scheme. She thinks a wrong step in disarming the nodes over here, the police station, and some place near Llif-Gadwyn's construction site will cause the other two nodes in the chain to detonate.”

“They place Harry lives in is near Mum's construction site,” commented Juniper. “Someone must be trying to hide Harry.”

“M-me?” stuttered Harry. “W-why would someone want to hide me? I really am a freak, aren't I?”

The crying boy suddenly found himself experiencing his first ever hug. “You're not a freak,” reassured the woman.

“Mum, he's going to need to breathe,” warned Violet.

Mizuchi looked closer at the boy in her arms, and focused on his scar. “I've met one of your quantum twins before.” Rainbow runes encircled her hand.

Harry felt a brief sting, similar to when one of the spiders in his cupboard bit him. His head somehow felt like the reverse of a headache, but his vision went blurry.

“With that soul-fragment no longer putting pressure on your optic nerve, you shouldn't need glasses to see. I think I'd better check the wards around your Aunt's house.”

===//===

Petunia Dursley's hand shook, as she sipped her cup of tea. The tall woman in the chair opposite made her nervous. “What exactly is this ICEP thing you say you work for?”

“We've officially been around for about five years now,” replied the woman. “However, it, and several similar organisations have existed for a lot longer. I'm here because I believe your nephew falls under our jurisdiction.”

_Oh, it's about 'them' again,_ she thought. “What has he done this time?”

“Nothing, actually. I think someone has done something to you. There is a highly complex network of spell wards all over Surrey, and I need your honest answer to one question; how did Harry come to live with you?”

“W-what are everywhere? I should have dropped the brat off at an orphanage the moment I found him left at our doorstep.”

“He was dropped here? You weren't actually asked to take him in? No wonder the ward arrays are malfunctioning.” A ring of rainbow runes orbited the woman's hand, and a sheaf of papers appeared on the coffee table. “Do you still want him living here?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“You always have a choice. If you sign these, I can place young Mr Potter in the custody of the Director of ICEP, and you'll never have to see him again. I'll even turn a blind eye to the boy's past mistreatment.”

“Do you have a pen?”

===//===

Dumbledore panicked, when several gadgets in his office suddenly seized up, melted, and/or exploded.


	21. Chapter 21

Outside Interference

Chapter 20

Harry was beginning to feel overwhelmed. In the last two days he was learning that most, if not all, of what Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had taught him was wrong. Monsters were real, but they also weren't actually monsters. He was allowed to have friends. He wasn't a freak. Magic was real, and he could use it. Human contact could actually be pleasant, especially hugs.

He stepped through the rainbow-coloured circle, created by Violets's mother. Juniper called it a Gate spell. As he took in his new surroundings, he realised he was in the lounge room of a large, high-ceilinged, house. He jumped slightly, when one of the 'dolls' propped up on the top of one of the room's couches flopped backwards. He was looking at an entire swarm of miniature-versions of Juniper, except they had blue markings instead of Juniper's purple. There was an excited buzzing, and they alternated between orbiting and hugging all three females. One of them hovered in front of Harry, and made several trilling and buzzing noises.

“Could you let either Renata, or Dr Sullivan know we need to give young Harry here a full check up?” Violet's mother asked the tiny woman. Several of the swarm broke off, and headed through a nearby doorway.

“Where are we?” Harry asked.

“This is our Uncle's house,” replied Violet.

Juniper pointed her two left arms towards a different doorway. “I'm going to explore the kitchen.” She was followed by most of the remaining swarm, while the one that was looking at Harry settling on the adult's shoulder.

A man, obviously a doctor, walked into the room. He took one glance at Harry, and raised his eyebrow at Mizuchi. Harry tried to hide behind Violet, clinging to the back of her shirt. “Maybe it would be better if we ask Renata to give the lad his check up,” he suggested.

Mizuchi plucked one of Harry's hairs. “Violet, look after your friend. I have some things to do.” She bent down to look at Harry. “Harry, what I'm about to do is illegal under the laws of several nations. Several planets, in fact. However, if this goes right, you will never have to live with the Dursleys ever again, and the person who put you there won't be able to put you into that sort of situation again.”

Harry's eyes lit up.

A moment later, a woman in a maid's uniform walked in from an adjoining room, escorting a short humanoid. “Miss O'Reilly, may the blood of your enemies run freely,” he greeted.

“Mr Ragnok,” greeted Mizuchi. “May your coffers be filled with your enemy's gold.”

“Why has your proxy asked me to visit you here?” Ragnok demanded.

“Mr Ragnok,” replied Mizuchi. “This is Harry Potter. I suspect that someone is plotting to commit inheritance fraud against him, and may have already made several unauthorised withdrawals from his vaults.”

Ragnok looked at the scrawny waif in front of him. The boy was clad in what was barely a step away from grey rags, and there were obvious signs of abuse. “Who did this?” Ragnok growled.

“His Aunt, Uncle, and cousin,” Mizuchi commented.

“They will bleed,” the goblin growled.

“Don't rush in like a dumb-ass Gryffindor,” commented Mizuchi. “There were outside influences affecting them. I made a deal, so I could gain custody of Harry, and will provide you with the details when time is less urgent. For now, I need you to act as a witness to his condition. Doctor Sullivan, and Healer Slytherin are going to give him a thorough check up, both medically, and magically.” She held up the strand of Harry's hair. “Once his condition has been documented, I will be making a decoy body, using this facility's biomedical fabrication unit.”

Ragnok's eyes lit up. “I can guess what you're planning, but how are you going to accomplish it? These things take time, even using magic.”

“No way!” Violet looked at her mother in surprise. “My mother is really an evil super-villain!”

Harry looked confused. “What's going on?”

“My mistress is going to risk a level 4 paradox to fake your death,” commented the maid. “All to act as your guardian.” She then enveloped the young boy in a hug. “Welcome to the family”

===//===

The fireplace at the Figg residence flared green, and Dumbledore stepped out. The first thing he noticed was the house was empty. Neither Mrs Figg nor her kneazels were inside the next thing he noticed was the sound of chaos. He carefully looked out of the window, to see a muggle soldier helping several people into the back of an olive-green transport vehicle. Mrs Figg was amongst the people already sitting on the bench, her pets either around her feet or being held by some of the neighbourhood children.

Looking around further, he noticed not only were there several other soldiers, along with muggle Aurors ...policemen, if he remembered correctly... evacuating people to vehicles and setting up black and yellow barriers. There were also people in strange beige and black uniforms, that looked like some sort of armour. The letters 'ICEP' were emblazoned prominently on their backs, and 'SRT' on their right shoulders.

He nearly passed out in shock, as he saw a pair of centaurs, wearing a variation of the police uniform, also evacuating residents. He transfigured his robes into his blue 'muggle clothes' and cautiously approached them.

“Old man, you need to join the evacuation. It's not safe,” warned one of the centaurs.

“I know some people in this neighbourhood, and was wondering what all the commotion was about,” said Dumbledore.

The other centaur unclipped a strange device from his belt. “Disaster control, this is Officer Shianus. Someone managed to enter the evac zone. Squad six must have missed one of the approaches to the area.”

“Roger that,” replied a slightly tinny voice. “I will advise perimeter control to check for gaps.”

The first centaur addressed the wizard. “The guys doing the construction work over there,” he indicated towards Privet Drive, “uncovered several unexploded bombs from World War Two during their excavations. Some poor kid accidentally set one off, so we're evacuating the area until the EoD squad has given us the All-Clear.”

A winged red-haired woman dropped from the sky near the group. _It's that filthy half-dragon, Mizuchi,_ Dumbledore thought. She was wearing the similar beige and black armour as the SRTs. “Officer Shianus, Officer Slepnir. The body has been formally identified, and I would like you two to escort the ambulance until it reaches the Coroner's office. For such a solemn duty, the drivers have agreed to go slowly.”

Both centaurs saluted. “Thank you for this honour, Commander O'Reilly. It is such a shame what happened.”

Mizuchi turned to face Dumbledore. “Hello Albus. Today has been extremely eventful. They had to pull police, army, and ICEP personnel to help evacuate residents. I was at my daughters' school, because of an incident, when word eventually got through to me. As the highest ranking officer among the divisions, it falls to me to deal with the fall out from all of this. It seems this incident, and the incident at the school are linked.”

“Please elaborate, my dear,” Dumbledore went into his 'kindly grandfather' act. _I'll see you punished for disrespecting me._

“It started out as something trivial,” explained Mizuchi. “A government official wanted to check up on the treatment of its Extraspecies students.”

“I-it's what?”

“I thought you knew. Shortly after my eldest was born, the United Nations took over responsibility for most of the Extraspecies peoples. The government takes the treatment of its 'newest' citizens seriously, and sent someone to investigate after I withdrew my children from the school lunch program. Something went weird and the teachers all ended up in a trance. Apparently some kid called Dursley took advantage, and his gang tried to beat up some kid called Potter. He spontaneously vanished during the chase. I received a direct call from the head of Yousei Construction, after she went to investigate an explosion.” She placed a hand on Dumbledore's shoulder, a solemn look on her face, as the Ambulance rolled past. “We still need to cross reference his medical records at St Mungos, just to make certain of his identity.” Old bastard hasn't put two-and-two together. She glanced behind Dumbledore. “Hello Rita. Do you have any Ward analysts in your circle of contacts?”

Dumbledore paled slightly. _“Investigators?” I'll need to Obliviate several people, it seems._

“Why would you need one of my contacts?” asked a woman's voice from behind the old wizard.

“Do you think the Ministry of Magic is going to take the word of a 'filthy half-breed'? Thanks for revealing that to everyone, Albus.” Mizuchi then pointed towards Privet Drive. “There was a complex combination of interlinked Wards over the local school, Hospital, Doctors' clinics, Police Station, and this neighbourhood.”

“What is so significant about them?” asked Rita. She was known for having an instinct for scandal. What was unknown to everyone, except for Mizuchi's family, was they helped her when her first attempt at Animagus transformation screwed up. Additionally, she was Juniper's godmother.

“This neighbourhood happens to be where Harry Potter's Muggle relatives live. It looks like someone had tried to set up some protection Wards for him. They've got the layering wrong in several locations, and if Harry was seriously injured, nobody would come for him, because the inbuilt memory charms would Obliviate the Emergency Services people. Whoever set this up was either well-meaning, but incompetent, or this was deliberately set up to cause harm to The-Boy-Who-Lived. I had to hide the identity of the child who died, because all of the humans kept going into a trance, whenever I mentioned certain details such as the unusual scar above his right eye.”

“Harry Potter is just an attention-seeking delinquent,” monotoned a nearby resident.

“Case in point,” commented Mizuchi. “The poor boy bled out. He might have lived, if those memory charms hadn't triggered.”

Rita's quill moved rapidly over her notepad, trying to hide her delight at Dumbledore's deteriorating composure.

“I wonder what your opinion is is this matter, Albus? Was the person who set up these Wards incompetent, or was it a deliberate attempt on the boy's life?”

There was a loud _CRACK_ as Dumbledore Disapparated.

Rita put her notebook away. “Now that he's gone, where have you hidden Harry?”

===//===

“Hi Aunt Rita. There's honey-flavoured ice cream in the freezer,” Juniper greeted her godmother. “I see your pseudonym won a Pulitzer Prize.” the girl pointed to the newspaper with one of her free hands. “If you keep that up, the British Ministry might catch on, and stop telling you things.”

“Hello Juniper. I think I'll get myself a bowl,” Rita stepped into the kitchen. “Oh, hello Mr Ragnok, Dr Sullivan.” She noticed the bottle of whiskey between them.

“Leave them to their booze,” called Juniper. “Harry's list of medical issues was quite large. Aunt Renata is currently working with Mum to remove several magical blocks from his core.”

“Several?” Rita was shocked. “Harry could have been rendered a Squib!”

“Good news everyone!” Violet called from the other end of the lounge room. “All of the enchantments that were placed on Harry have been removed. ...um... it seems that some of them were glamours.”

A face peaked out from behind the young dragon. Instead of messy black hair, there was shoulder-length auburn hair. “Uh, hi,” whispered a quiet voice.

“We're going to have no trouble hiding Harry from the general population,” Violet commented. “Harry is actually a girl. Sorry Aunt Rita, you'll need to wait a few years to publish a story about it.”


	22. Chapter 22

Outside Interference

Chapter 21

_The passage of time blurred so much when hiding for your life. At best guess he'd been hiding in this Morgana-forsaken hole for maybe four years. Could be three. No, four. Definitely four. A scrap of muggle newspaper blew past, and he snatched it to add to his nest. ...five. Five years living in terror._

_It should have been easy. Frame the dog, hide out as some family's pet, wait for signs of the Dark Lord's return. He had made his way to a blood-traitor family with lots of children, as it would be easier to get 'picked up as a stray' by one of them._

_It didn't go well. He knew there was a village of centaurs nearby, but how was he to know about the spider-centaurs ...and the half-snakes. He shivered at the memory of that other rat, as one of the half-breeds' spawn, instinctively drawn to the movement, encased its victim in a web so quickly, it defied all logic. It was almost like it could wield magic._

_A few days later, he tried to move on, closer to where the wizards lived, only to almost stumble into a web, strung between two thorn bushes. He was about to take his chances, and tear through it, when a preying mantis flew into it, and was immediately electrocuted. Those **monsters** could enchant their webs, they were strung around the entire property, and he couldn't even see half of them, their threads being so fine._

_He chewed on the edge of the paper, and prayed that the plant-creatures that shared the territory didn't accidentally uproot his nest again._

===//===

(Time jump. Six years previous)

James and Lily had just taken their seats in the private office of Gringotts, when their accounts manager and Dumbledore appeared to zone out. Lily looked around, noticing the colours in the room seemed to be washed out. “Oh no,” she whispered.

A brief flash of panic showed on James' face, as he scanned the room's shadows.

“Good reflexes for an Auror,” said a feminine voice near his ear, causing him to reflexively throw back his chair and draw his wand. Nobody noticed the chair frozen in mid-air.

In front of him stood a five-foot-six platinum blonde, in a silver-trimmed black Gothic dress. “Put that down Prongs,” she said, as she returned the chair to the floor. I'm not about to hurt a family member.”

“Family?” Lily looked confused. “Who are you?”

“Yuri Karitoriki,” she replied. “However, I took the name 'Lily Peverell' when I was married to James' ancestor.” She placed her hand on the desk, and leaned over to point at the will. “I know about the 'safety measures' in place for your child, such as your plans to hide a copy of your Will in the Potter main Vault. I can't give away too much, but another relative gave me a heads-up that you missed something.”

Lily looked at Yuri's three pendants. She saw what was obviously a photo-locket, a Deathly Hallows symbol (commonplace amongst many witches and wizards), and a miniature hourglass-and-crossed-scythes.

“I'm going to teach you the 'Need to Know' charm.” Yuri then spent the equivalent of a couple of hours in the time-frozen building teaching the Charm, and whispering advice.

The couple then watched Yuri pick up her scythe, and walk out of the office. They watched the other two occupants of the office 'return to life' as time was restored to the building.

(End of time jump)

===//===

Sally quickly pulled Azrael out of the way, as the rest of the children surged off the modified school bus. There was a brief gasp, as Cass snatched Ron before he tripped on the bottom stair, still not used to muggle transportation, and trying to catch up with his brothers. Several children of different shapes and sizes ran, galloped or scuttled over the road towards the mansion.

“Ron, you need to be careful where you step,” Cass said, as she carefully set the six-year-old back onto the ground. “Now, let's look both ways before we cross the rad.” She turned to face her sister. “Sally, will you and Azrael be okay?”

“I'm sure we'll be fine,” replied Azrael, clutching his cane, as Sally positioned her hand for 'sighted guide' for her little brother.

As Sally slithered alongside her brother, she saw the bulk of the group was already almost at the door. A familiar pair of faces ran out to greet them. Her heat vision also sensed another presence behind the older of her cousins.

“Vy!” “June!”

Violet and Juniper found themselves lifted off the ground, as Kuroko and Charlotte greeted their cousins with overenthusiastic hugs, startling the small red-haired girl that was using Violet as a barrier.

“Kids!” called out a woman's voice from the path towards the woods. “Go inside. There are snacks in the kitchen. Cass, Kuroko, Charlotte, Sally, Leo, Azrael, change out of your uniforms first.”

“Yes Aunt Fern,” chorused the named children. Everyone except Violet, Juniper, and the new girl went inside.

“Hi Mum!” chorused Violet and Juniper.

“I thought the dragon girl was your mother,” whispered the new girl.

“You're allowed more than one,” Violet whispered back. She looked back towards the green-haired woman. “This is my new friend, 'Harry'. We don't know her real name.”

“It's Dorea.” Cass was leaning out of the kitchen window. “Don't use her last name in public. Use 'Crochenydd' instead.”

“What just happened?” Dorea asked.

“My cousin sometimes remembers things that haven't happened yet,” Violet explained.

Dorea was suddenly distracted by an odd clicking noise on the path.

“That sounds like our little sister,” commented Juniper. “I'm glad she's finally decided to 'risk' leaving the lakeside grove.”

Dorea's jaw dropped at the sight in front of her. A small green-haired girl was sitting on a wooden 'chair' of some sort. It looked sort of like a fancy office swivel-chair, but with legs the girl herself looked to be wearing a bare-minimum of clothing.

“Mum,” the girl grumbled, tugging uncomfortably at her clothes. “Why can't I just use my vines to cover what needs to be covered?” she then noticed the small group of people nearby. “EEP!” The 'chair' suddenly folded up, looking for all intents and purposes like a 'typical' treasure chest. The lid slowly creaked open, and they could see green eyes peeking out.

Fern bent down towards the chest. “Venus, you don't have to hide from Dorea. I think she's scared too. See how she's hiding behind your sister?” She gently coaxed the girl out of hiding, and the chest opened back out.

“H-hi, D-dorea,” she mumbled. Venus then scuttled behind he mother. She startled at the noises coming from the kitchen.

“It's Tuesday,” Fern reminded her daughter. “Mr Lupin will be here soon.”

“Who's Mr Lupin?” Dorea asked Violet.

“He comes twice a week to teach us magic,” Violet explained. “He mainly helps us learn the controls we need to help with our outbursts of accidental magic. Completely suppressing your magic can be dangerous. The Weasleys aren't supposed to join in, because of some stupid laws, so we pretend my Uncle and Aunts are babysitting.”

“With seven kids, and no house-elves,” continued Juniper, “the story is wholly plausible, and the unique wards around our territory hide any and all magic from the Ministry's detection nets.”

“Let's get inside,” said Fern, as a car parked in the driveway. You should get to know the others before Mr Lupin shows up.”

===//===

Remus looked at the students in front of him. This job with ICEP might be 'illegal' under the Ministry's laws, but the UN resolution contains loopholes bypassing the Ministry, as a lot of Extraspecies races have their own magic.

“I see Venus is still shy around others,” he commented, looking at the chest in the corner. “It also appears we have some new faces. Jenny and Dorea have both just found out they have magical ancestry. Jenny will be joining Miss Fern's group, as it looks like her magic is Druidic in origin. Dorea will be joining my group until we work out what type of magic she knows.”

Dorea raised her hand.

“Yes Dorea?”

“What do you mean by type of magic? Isn't magic magic?”

“There are different sources for the powers we all wield. As a result, my magic is different to Miss Fern's. Sometimes we have parents with two different types of magic. Those types of magic interact strangely. These lessons are not to teach you spells, they are to teach you how to understand your magic.”

Dorea raised her hand again. “Violet says that hiding our magic can be dangerous. Is that true?”

“Yes it is,” replied Fern. “It eventually builds up, and it is like filling a balloon with too much air.”

“It can explode!?” Jenny exclaimed.

“It is one of the possible results,” replied Fern. “The Tunguska explosion was one of those. Sometimes it creates a creature called an Obscurus.”

“The haunted forest in Ireland,” whispered Jenny. “Grandma told me about how one day in the '50s there was an old abandoned church that just ...vanished... and a moment later, a 500 year forest grew in a matter of seconds. For some reason, it is permanently winter within it.”

“That was Grandma,” whispered Cass. “Some ...stuff... happened in the orphanage she was raised in. Great grandma Val was a Yuki-onna, and Great grandpa Pat had druidic ancestry. Grandma's magic still leaks. She can't touch the ground, or anything wooden, without causing uncontrolled plant growth. Her magic sometimes crystallises around her, taking the form of green-feathered wings.”

“...the Emerald Angel...” whispered Jenny. “Hang on. She was seen many times over the past thousand years.”

“Probably time travel,” replied Fern. “There are several ways to do it. Some of them are extremely dangerous.”

“Oh. That's alright then,” Jenny sounded satisfied with the answer the adult gave.

Remus and Fern started their lesson.

===//===

“Is it true?” Minerva's teary-eyed visage appeared in front of Dumbledore. He had been so distracted by the disruption to his plans, he didn't even notice her enter his office.

“I'm sure the horcr... Harry is safe. We have no proof yet that the person in the accident was Harry. One of our agents is going to check the muggle hospital for us.”

Minerva slammed a newspaper down on the desk

**THE-BOY-WHO-LIVED DEAD?**  
_By Rita Skeeter_

_Yesterday afternoon, the body of Harry James Potter was recovered by the Muggle authorities after a tragic accident._

_Apparently, everything we knew about the-boy-who-lived was wrong. Some well-meaning witch or wizard had actually hidden him with his Muggle relatives, so that Death Eater agents couldn't find him, and hid him with several complex Wards, meant to draw attention away from him. Unfortunately, he was hidden too well. By the time all of the Death Eaters had been captured, nobody knew where the-boy-who-lived actually was, except for who set up the Wards._

_Dumbledore's assurances on Harry's well-being were obviously to keep the citizens of Magical Britain from panicking._

_Tragically, while performing accidental magic, young Harry Apparated on top of an unexploded bomb from World War Two. Unfortunately, the bomb exploded, and Harry was seriously injured. The Wards that were designed to keep attention away from Harry worked against him. The squib who found Harry held him, as he breathed his last, waiting for help that would never come._

_Do not judge the person who hid Harry too harshly. They meant well. They just didn't think ahead properly._

_Rest in Peace with your parents, Harry._

Dumbledore woke up an hour later in the infirmary.

===//===

Violet showed her new step-sister the news article. “Dorea. No one is going to railroad you into a situation you don't want to be in ever again.”


	23. Chapter 23

Outside Interference

Chapter 22

Harry woke in a panic as birdsong reached his ears.

No... _Dorea_ . She was Dorea now. The snake-lady told her yesterday. She was really a girl. Her six-year-old mind still wasn't sure about the 'how', or the 'why' but because Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had beaten 'do not ask questions' into her, she didn't ask.

It took a few moments to realise that she was tangled in something. Probably the blankets. She'd never had blankets before.

“Sally is a hugger,” said a voice from above her. Dorea opened her eyes. The blonde spider-girl, Cass, was above her, swinging in a white hammock. “It comes from being poikilothermic.”

“Poi-what?” Dorea asked. _Asking other kids was fine, right?_

“Poikilothermic,” she lowered herself down, using her web, and helped pry Sally's arm off Dorea. “Sally gets cold really easily.”

“Mmm... five more minutes...” Sally mumbled, and tried to wrap her body tighter around their house-guest.

“Sally, it's-”  
“-seven in-”  
“-the morning,” said two more voices from the ceiling.  
“We've got to-”  
“-get ready-”  
“-for school.” Dorea giggled at the twins speaking together.

“Merda!” Sally unwrapped herself from Dorea.

The 'twins' giggled, and lowered themselves from the ceiling.  
“I wonder-”  
“-who is-”  
“-making-”  
“-breakfast.”

Dorea's stomach growled as she smelled the scent of bacon and eggs drifting into the room.

“Eggs!” Sally flung open the bedroom door, and slithered down the hallway as fast as she could go.

“But we're still in our pyjamas!” protested Dorea. “We'll get in trouble.”

“Different house. Different rules.” Cass commented, as the twins both tried to get through the door together. Eventually, they 'compromised' by one scuttling up the door and running along the ceiling.

“Show-offs!” called a voice from the other room. Dorea saw Leo run down the hallway from one of the other bedrooms.

“Why is he wearing a pink nightie?” Dorea wondered out loud.

“Leo's a girl,” Violet replied from the doorway. “Biologically.” She rubbed the sleep from her eyes with one of her wings. “Aunt Cassiopeia's species name their children after constellations.”

“You're blocking the hallway,” said Juniper. “Mum probably shouldn't have taken you hunting last night. You're still sleepy.”

Dorea noticed Juniper was holding the only boy in the house in a way unfamiliar to her. “Why are you holding Azrael's elbow like that?”

“It's called the sighted guide position,” replied Azrael, as a white staff flew to his hand. “Magic might be good for some things, but my parents and Aunts have taught us that we need to learn things the mundane way.”

“That's because magic can be countered,” said an adult male's voice from further up the hallway.

Dorea flinched, and was immediately hiding behind Violet. Towering above the children was a tall, red-haired, male. Variations of “Good morning Daddy” and “Good morning Uncle Hiroshi” came from each of the children. Cass jumped into his arms, and gave her father a hug.

At Dorea's questioning look, Hiroshi lowered himself down, to make himself less intimidating to the small girl. “You must be Dorea,” Hiroshi commented, looking at her. “Some of the extraspecies races, are all girls. They need boys from other races to make babies.”

Dorea whispered in Violet's ear, not realising Hiroshi could hear her. “I thought you could only have one Mummy and Daddy in a family.”

Playing along, Violet turned and answered for her uncle. “Remember when I said you were allowed more than one Mum? My four Aunts all fell in love with Uncle Hiroshi, and decided to 'share' him instead of making him choose.” She giggled. “I think Uncle Azrael's sister might like him too.”

Cass also giggled. “Aunt Yuri might use 'visiting Dorea' as an excuse to visit.”

“Why?” Dorea's voice had an edge of suspicion.

“She's your great-times-eight grandma on your father's side,” she replied. “...and your great-times-eleven grandma on your mother's side...” she whispered.

Breakfast could only be described as organised chaos. There were children and adults of all shapes and sizes sitting at or near one of the two extra-large tables. There was sooo muuuch foood, and Dorea didn't have to cook any of it!

As Dorea was led to a chair between Juniper and Venus, and a giant spider-lady piled food onto her plate. “Not enough?” she asked. “We have plenty more.” Dorea cried tears of joy, as it hit her that she would never go hungry again.

===//===

Shortly after the kids had run off to catch the school bus, Dorea was wearing a borrowed set of clothes, and laughing as Mizuchi struggled to get Venus to wear any clothes at all.

A young man with black hair and dark eyes ducked his head into the room. “Mizuchi, Fern said you were wrestling a dangerous monster in the bedroom.”

“Daddy!” Venus was suddenly clamped around the man. Her vines wrapping around his waist.

“Hi Reg,” Mizuchi groaned. “Maybe you can convince your daughter that clothes are her friends.”

===//===

Dorea had her face pressed on the window, watching the land rush by.

**_She was in a helicopter!_ ** Flying was the best thing ever!

After a much-too-short-in-her-opinion time, the helicopter landed. This was looking to be the happiest day of her life when, as she was following Juniper down the boarding ramp, she saw a familiar face in the crowd who had come to see the helicopter. "Rats!"

===//===

Petunia stepped out of the bus, near the train station, Dudley held close to her. With the school closed for a gas leak since Tuesday, she had no choice but to bring him shopping with her. “Come along Duddykins.”

“Wow!” Dudley was looking up and pointing, as were several other people, at a Chinook helicopter as it circled the square and then landed in a spot cleared by the local police. “Mummy! Look! That woman has wings!”

“More freaks,” muttered Petunia. Then she recognised her as the woman she signed Harry over to. She was wearing a very expensive-looking dress instead of her ICEP uniform, but it was definitely her.

“I think that's Violet's Mummy,” commented Dudley. “Yeah. That's Violet and Juniper. They're not scared of me and Piers.” he snickered a little. “I think Piers likes Juniper.”

Petunia noticed the smaller ...dragonewt?... jumping down from the helicopter's side-hatch, as the adult one helped a green-haired girl off the rear boarding ramp. There was a flash of red hair from behind the giant bug-girl, and Petunia nearly passed out in shock.

**_The red-haired girl hiding behind the bug was the spitting image of Lily._ **

Petunia ran forwards, almost dragging a surprised Dudley. “You!” she yelled. “O'Reilly!”

“Hello Mrs Dursley,” greeted O'Reilly. The Lily look-alike tried to hide further behind the bug-girl, while the green-haired girl practically dove behind O'Reilly's miniature.

“What are you doing here?” Petunia demanded.

“I live nearby,” O'Reilly replied. “After the chaos with the construction site, we decided to spend the night at my brother's place. London will be too crowded to land a helicopter, so I asked Angelo to drop us off here.” She made a hand signal, and the helicopter took off. “Is there a reason why you're staring at Dorea like you've seen a ghost?”

“Dorea? T-that's Lily!” Petunia scowled. “What really happened to Harry?”

“No. That's Dorea.” replied O'Reilly. She looked closely at Dudley, and removed her glasses. “Take your son to the local ICEP office, and ask for Doctor Tonks.”

A look of worry flashed onto Petunia's face. “Doctor? What's wrong with my Duddykins?”

Mizuchi tapped a spot just behind her ear. “Point her to this location. Just trust me on this. You need the correct people to handle the situation. Now, if you'll excuse us,” Mizuchi gathered hercharges towards her. “We've got a train to London to catch.”

===//===

Dorea looked in wonder as the wall opened into an archway. Diagon Alley was so colourful. There were all sorts of strange shops. “Mizuchi, why are those boys so fascinated by a cleaning place?”

Mizuchi looked where her new charge was pointing. “That's actually a sports store. They have a sport called Quidditch, which is played on flying brooms.”

“I once dreamt about a flying motorcycle,” said Dorea. Then her voice dropped to a barely-audible mumble. “When I told Aunt Petunia about it, she hit me with a frying pan.”

“I'm starting to regret giving her immunity,” commented Mizuchi. “When we next visit Hiroshi's place, I'll have to show you his grav-bike.

“You have a flying motorcycle?” Dorea asked in amazement.

“Wizards can use runes and enchantments,” replied Mizuchi. “We use technology. My brother and Ventris used to tinker with all sorts of engineering projects.”

Dorea kept walking, talking, and pointing things out with her new friends/family. She also noticed them pointedly ignoring the stares and comments coming from the strangely-dressed people. When they reached the end of the street, her eye was drawn to the big white building. “That's obviously the bank,” she said.

“That will be correct,” replied Mizuchi. “Gringotts oversees the majority of the finances in the Hidden communities.” She turned to the goblins at the front of the building. “{Good morning Axebiter, Fellhammer. May you beat your enemies to death with their own arms.}”

As far as Dorea could tell, the goblins seemed to relax slightly, but were still alert.

“{Mizuchi!}” greeted the goblin on the left. “{May your hoards always glitter. Are you sure it's safe for us to let you in?}”

“{Yes Axebiter.}” repled Mizuchi. “{I think my instincts have finally switched from 'nesting' to 'wanting to show off my young'. Everything should be fine.}”

The goblins gestured that the group was good to enter.

“What was that about?” Dorea whispered to Violet.

“There are times when Mum isn't allowed inside the bank,” Violet whispered back. “The goblins have their own tribe of dragons as security measures against thieves. Dragons get ...territorial... when they're nesting.”

Dorea immediately understood. “Dragons fighting isn't good. Even if you're only people-sized, someone could get burnt.”

“Imagine if they were Kaiju-sized,” Juniper added in.

“Kaiju?” Dorea asked.

“Like that movie we watched last night,” said Venus. “Mum can change shape, and become that size.”

“{Good morning, Griphook.}” Mizuchi greeted the teller. “{May your enemies' skulls decorate your vault.}”

“{Mizuchi! May your vault be painted with the blood of your enemies. It has been a long time since you have visited.}” He noticed the group of girls trailing behind her. “{Such beautiful girls! I'm assuming you're here to open their first Vaults?}”

“{That is correct. However, we also need to see Mr Ragnok about Dorea. I suspect that the wizards have already made attempts on the Potter vaults.}”

Another goblin walked in from an adjoining office. “{Your suspicions are correct, Empress Ragnarok, may your enemies shatter at your touch. Dumbledore tried to access the Potter trust Vault last night, and the Minister tried to claim it this morning. Right now, they're holding an emergency session of the Wizengamot to seize the 'unclaimed' Potter properties.}”

“{Then it's a good thing we have a copy of the Last Will and Testament of James and Lily Potter.}” Mizuchi handed Ragnok a document.

Ragnok cackled. “Can the five of you please follow me? We have a Will to read.”

===//===

Orion lowered his copy of the Daily Prophet, as heard the distinct 'pop!' of Kreature. “Master Black, sir. Kreature is conflicted. Master Regulus is at the front door, but Master Black might not be happy to see him.”

Orion gave the house-elf a look. “Why would I not be happy to see my son?”

Kreature looked hesitant. “He is here with his ...young lady.”

Orion groaned in exasperation. “Just let them in.”

===//===

“Now I know why you haven't written,” Orion commented, as he looked at his son's companion. _A Dryad Queen. At least he aims high._ “I'm happy for you, Reg. However, your mother is going to be pissed.” At the sideways glances he was making, he added “what else do I need to know?”

Regulus handed him a photograph. It showed Fern flanked by Regulus and a one of those rumoured human-form dragons. There were pixies of some sort flittering near their heads, and in front of them were three children. One was a miniature human-form dragon, one was a child-sized version of the pixies, and the third, with Reg's hand resting on her shoulder, was a miniature dryad. 

...with Reg's eyes...

“Grandchildren? ... is that dragon... by Merlin! You're in a Triad with the person who managed to legally take control of the world just by using two simple law changes in the Muggle world, and just letting general human laziness do the rest? I thought she was in Hufflepuff before she was 'outed' as a half-breed.”

“If she was sorted into any other house, they would have watched her like a hawk,” commented Fern. “Also, Reg found something that concerns all of us as a family. Sirius never received a trial.”

**“WHAAAT!”** Walburga burst into the room.


	24. Chapter 24

Outside Interference

Chapter 23

The four children watched in wonder as the parchments in their hands magically filled themselves in.

“Dorea! Breathe!” Mizuchi saw the shocked expression on her new daughter's face.

After a few minutes, Dorea seemed to calm down. “I never knew my father was a Lord. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia said my father was a drunken layabout who rented my mother out for drug money.”

There was a collective growl from everyone not Dorea in the room.

“I personally knew Lily Potter,” growled Ragnok. “She was the first member of wizardkind that I ever had any respect for. She took the time to learn about our culture, and didn't treat us as 'lesser beings' like the other wizards do.”

“May I have a look at that parchment?” Mizuchi asked Dorea. Dorea handed over the sheet.

While Mizuchi was reading over the details, and muttering little comments to herself, there was a knock at the door.

“Enter!” called Ragnok. “These should be our witnesses from the DMLE, for when I break the seals on the Will.”

Mizuchi glanced up as a goblin led in a male and a female in Auror's robes. “Hi Amelia, Kingsley,” the dragon greeted. “Do you know anyone who can discreetly enter a minor's details into the Animagus register?” She looked back down at the parchment and scoffed. “Animagus chance twenty percent, my tail blade.”

Ragnok looked confused, as did Dorea.

“What's an Animagus?” Dorea asked.

“It's a witch or wizard that can change into an animal,” explained Ragnok. “It is a very rare ability, and can take years of training to accomplish.” He then turned to Mizuchi. “Why are you so confident that young Dorea here is going to be an Animagus?”

All of the other occupants of the room also looked interested.

“Do you remember how mine and my relatives' documents had those 'blank' spots?”

Ragnok's eyes narrowed briefly. “Oh, yes. _Those._ One of our curse breakers said it was a variation of the Fidelius charm. Your brother had to explain to us that it kept us safe from someone dragging your secrets from our minds.”

“Remember what happened when you saw the article on the UN resolutions?” asked Mizuchi.

“The rest of your name appeared,” he replied. “I still don't understand why yours was hyphenated and your brother's wasn't.”

“It's to do with magic and magical legacies,” replied Mizuchi. “I can even tell you what type of animal she'll transform into,” Mizuchi radiated confidence in her reply.

“You can?” asked Dorea.

“Let me explain,” said Mizuchi. “One of my mothers has a cousin who knew nothing about magic until she was in her twenties, and stumbled upon an injured dragon. Aunt Mizuchi, who I'm named after, saved Aunt Tohru's life that night. Not long after finding out she was a witch, events occurred that would potentially harm her daughter, Kanna. Aunt Mizuchi willingly sacrificed her magic to save her daughter, and prevent a war. All of the dragons in our hometown took on her family name in honour of that sacrifice. It seems that when I signed your guardianship forms, Dorea Lily Potter-Gryffindor-Slytherin-Peverell-Kobayashi, this world's magic responded.”

Violet was the first to react. “Dorea is a dragon?!”

“Yes. Dorea is a dragon,” Mizuchi confirmed. “We can sort out the implications to that later. In the meantime, we have a Will to read.”

===//===

“My eldest may have been a no-good Gryffindor,” growled Walburga. “However, sending him to Azkaban without a trial is an insult to our family.”

“Dorea and Fleamont regularly kept us updated on Sirius, and he would never willingly betray James,” Orion commented. “Someone obviously wants him out of the way.”

“I have my suspicions,” replied Fern. “The problem is proof.”

“All we can do at the moment is investigate who paid who, and how much,” said Regulus.

“As for you, Regulus,” growled Walburga, pointing towards Fern. “Why did you bring _**that** _ into our house?”

“Walburga,” Orion replied, as he picked up the photograph again. “If Regulus had been the 'good Slytherin' you wanted him to be, Voldemort's insanity would have gotten him killed. Fern may be a half-breed, but he loves her enough that we have a grandchild. Now, we can't have our granddaughter growing up without her uncle, can we?”

===//===

The four girls were sitting around a table at Florean Fortescue's icecream parlour.

...well, 'sitting' is a bit of a stretch for one of them...

Venus was hiding inside her 'treasure chest' dryad-construct again. All four were eating some of Florean's best creations (although a casual observer would have wondered why the fourth one was in front of a fancy trunk, and how come it was slowly disappearing). While she was eating her sundae, she could see Mummy-'zuchi talking on her wrist-mounted comm unit with her daddy's cousin, Andromeda.

“Yes, Andi, I'm fully aware that I have safely removed runic tattoos of similar complexity from people before.”

“...”

Venus was too far away to hear the doctor's replies.

“I'm aware there is a risk involved, if you try to remove it.”

“...”

“The ink is made from phoenix ashes, Andi.”

Venus could hear an edge of frustration in her mother's voice. _Obviously, if Mummy-'zuchi could fix it herself, she would have done it already._

“...”

“Call me back when you're done please.” The screen went blank and retracted back into the comm unit.

“Humans,” scoffed Mummy-'zuchi, as she walked back to the table. “Venus, are you alright in there?” She pulled out a cloth, apparently from thin air, and reached past the 'teeth' lining the edges of her construct to wipe stray icecream off her face.

“Muuum!” Venus protested, as the other three girls giggled. “I'm not a baby! I'll be five in a few weeks!”

“Stupid half-breeds, pretending to be civilised,” said a nearby voice.

Venus could see a silver-tipped cane in the direction of the voice. A brief scowl flashed over Mummy-'zuchi's face. This was obviously someone she didn't like. “Malfoy,” she greeted.

“O'Reilly,” sneered Malfoy. “I see you've added additional members to your motley brood. The redhead looks almost human.”

Violet and Juniper positioned themselves between Dorea and Malfoy. “Dorea is more human than you, Death Eater,” growled Violet.

“Is that one so ugly, you have to hide her in a box?” sneered a miniature version of Malfoy.

Venus transformed her dryad-construct back into its 'throne' configuration, and unfurled its legs. “You must be Draco,” she glowered at her cousin. “Daddy told me all about you.”

“A mimic!” Malfoy staggered back. “You let a dangerous creature like that into Diagon Alley! You're as bad as that damn Hogwarts grounds keeper!”

Venus pulled her copy of her inheritance test out of her dress-pocket. “Is 'mimic' a stupid person's way of saying 'meta-morph-mag-us'?”

Malfoy drew his wand from his cane, and immediately realised he made a mistake, as a halberd materialised in one of the adult dragon's hands, and rainbow-coloured runic circles surrounded the other.”

“You're really going to attack children in broad daylight?” said Dorea, as pink runic circles appeared around hers and Violet's hands. Dorea's timidity seemed to be forgotten

“Mr Malfoy! Mizuchi! Put your wands away, or I'll have you arrested!” Mummy-'zuchi's friend Amelia called out, from across the street. She had a red-haired girl hiding behind her legs.

“Standing down!” Mummy-'zuchi replied back. Her halberd vanished, and the runic circles around hers and Violet's hands dispersed. Dorea's vanished a few seconds later.

The two white-haired humans visibly flinched, when Juniper decloaked, from right next to the adult one, and retracted her stinger. Draco stared at her as she flew back to join the group.

“Lucius!” A woman with two-tone hair stormed out of the nearby stationery shop. “Are you putting our son in danger?”

“They're the danger, 'Cissa!” replied Lucius. He pointed towards Venus. “They brought a Morgana-damned mimic here!”

Cissa looked at the 'mimic' and gasped. She slapped Lucius in the back of the head, and walked up to the group. “I offer my apologies on behalf of my ignorant husband and son.” She looked towards Venus. “I see Reg got over the family prejudices pretty quickly.” She dropped down to look into Venus's eyes. “Yes. Definitely a Black. I'm your Daddy's cousin, 'Cissa.”

“Hello Aunt 'Cissa, I'm Venus” Venus whispered.

“Draco. This green haired girl is your cousin, Venus,” 'Cissa said over her shoulder.

Draco nervously moved to stand behind his mother. “...(mumble mumble mumble)...”

“What was that, Draco?” asked “Cissa.

“...'rry for 'lling you 'gly...”

Lucius's face went red. “Narcissa! She's a fucking half-breed! As soon as Walburga finds out, Regulus is as good as disowned!”

Lucius flinched at the look of pure venom coming from “Cissa's face. “She is a Black. It doesn't matter if they're pure-bloods, half-bloods, squibs, or half-breeds. We look after our own. Always have. Always will.

'Cissa then noticed Dorea, behind Violet. “Lily!” ...and promptly fainted.

===//===

They were sitting in a private room at the Leaky cauldron, when a familiar voice whispered in his ear caused Lucius to flinch again, . “I don't think Mother and Father are going to disown me anytime soon.” Regulus moved into Lucius's field of view. “Right now, they're making a statement to the Daily Prophet 'reinstating' Andromeda to the family. Not that she was truly disowned, except for show. Once that's done, we're going to find out why my dear brother Sirius was never given a trial.”

“Auror Shacklebolt is already investigating that one,” Mizuchi commented. “We had a Will reading an hour ago. Sirius Black could not have betrayed the Potters. He took the proper magical oaths to be the godfather of their child.”

“Mummy-Fern!” Venus reached out to Fern, who lifted her up.

Narcissa looked up, to see something she only thought existed in story books. “I thought Dryad Queens were myths.”

“Obviously, we're not,” replied Fern. She turned towards Mizuchi. “Yuri came for a visit. It seems that Voldie went after Dorea and her family over a misinterpreted prophecy.”

“W-what?” Lucius stammered. “The only prophecy I know about was the one referring to the Dark Lord and Harry Potter.”

“The one Trelawney made, yes?” Fern asked. “Firstly, prophecies cannot affect the descendants of Godric Gryffindor. It's their Family Magic. Secondly, the prophecy didn't say which Dark Lord it referred to.” She glanced at Mizuchi. “I share a bed with one of them. Thirdly, Saimhann is when the 'seventh month' dies. You're mages. Use the correct calendar. Fourthly, 'Harry Potter' never existed. 'Harry' was a complex set of glamours, to hide Dorea from anyone that could harm her. Lily was descended from Slytherin, after all. Finally, Trelawney is a descendant of Oracle Cassandra. Who did she give her prophecy directly to. Use your head. Some time before Trelawney made her prophecy, Dumbledore went 'Dark'. The prophecy was about him.”

There was a gasp from Lucius. “Where's your proof?”

“He's currently undergoing treatment by Andromeda Tonks,” replied Mizuchi. “Dudley Dursley. He's the last male descendant of Helga Hufflepuff. A wizard with access to a phoenix runically bound his magic core. Yes Dorea, your cousin would have had similar abilities to you, if his abilities hadn't been bound. The magical signature matches that ward array that nearly killed you.”

“Hold on,” Narcissa interjected, from the bed she was on. “You said 'descended from Slytherin' a moment ago. Lily Evans was a Mudbl- I mean Muggle-born.”

“No such thing,” replied Mizuchi. “That was a fiction created by the Ministry to take advantage of wizard families abandoning their squib children. After all, who lays claim to 'extinct' family artefacts. The last descendants of the Ravenclaw line work as dentists.”

“Dentists?” asked Narcissa.

“Muggle Healers, specialising in teeth,” replied Mizuchi. “Their six year old daughter is already reading at a high-school level. I gave her the Hogwarts first year textbooks. She had them read and memorised, cover to cover, within a fortnight.”


	25. Chapter 25

Outside Interference

Chapter 24

Draco warily watched the four girls sitting in front of him, while it sounded like his father, at the table with the other adults, was about to have a meltdown.

The younger girl, Venus, who was apparently his cousin, was asleep in that weird chair of hers. The redhead, Dorea, was still half hiding behind her green-haired sister, Violet. Apparently, Dorea was rescued from a bad family a couple of days ago, which was why Violet had decided to 'protect' her. His mother said Dorea looks like someone she went to school with, and that was why she fainted earlier.

The purple-haired girl, Juniper, confused him the most. She had a mix of human and insect features, specifically those of a hornet. He couldn't tell where her four eyes were looking, as they were a uniform colour. Even though she was a half-breed, he still couldn't help but think she was pretty.

“What are you doing?” he asked her. She appeared to be tinkering with a runic amulet, using some weird tools she drew from a pouch hanging off her belt.

Juniper looked up from what she was doing. “Recalibrating the white-noise circuitry,” she replied. “The vibrations coming from my wings weren't being properly cancelled out. Meh. It's still not bad for my first attempt at making a personal cloak.” She looked towards the adults. “Looks like your mother has calmed down your father a little. We could be here a while, now that the adults are actually talking.”

Violet nodded in agreement. “We should probably play a game while we wait.”

Draco frowned. “We can't go running off by ourselves. We'll get in trouble.”

Violet raised an eyebrow. “Who said anything about running around?” She held her hands out, roughly a foot apart. “Apport. Risk.” A runic circle made up of pink-coloured light appeared between her hands for about three seconds, and a box materialised in her hands moments later.

Draco's jaw dropped in surprise. He quickly recomposed himself, when he noticed the same reaction from Dorea.

“I-I've never played games before,” Dorea whispered. “I dont't know how to play.”

“It's alright,” Juniper assured the redhead, as she put her things away. “I doubt Draco has played this game either.”

Draco looked at the board that Juniper layed out between the four of them. It looked vaguely like a map of the world, divided into different coloured 'countries' which were further divided into sections. Violet held up each of the game pieces, explaining what each represented. She then explained each of the action types, and how the dice were used, while Juniper distributed the game pieces amongst the four of them. 

“So this is sort of like chess, but you have to think about territory?” commented Draco.

“Yes and no,” said Violet. “Chess only has two evenly-matched sides, and a single objective. It's too simple for us. In this, you have to worry about over-stretching your forces, and another faction taking advantage of you.”

“This is only the basic version of the game,” said Juniper. “There are additional rules for things like air-strikes, but we won't be using them right now.”

“Air strikes?” Draco asked.

“Planes, right?” Dorea commented. “For wizards, it would be bringing in dragons, wouldn't it? I can see those funny eight-sided dice Juniper left in the box.”

Juniper and Violet spent the next couple of hours teaching Draco and Dorea how to play.

===//===

**_Snap!_ **

“Oh, crap!” Charie shouted. “Woah!”

Molly looked out of the kitchen window, to see her second-born swinging upside down from a tree near the back fence.

“Okay, you got me!” he laughed.

Molly heard giggling from a nearby cluster of bushes, and saw two heads of bright red hair ducking down. “Fred! George! How dare you use a snare-trap on Charlie!”

Two affronted voices came from behind her.

“Honestly mother!”  
“Why do you”  
“assume we”  
“set that trap?”

**_Snap!_ ** The sound came from the side of the house, followed by Percy's startled yell.

“Now, that one”  
“on the other hand,”  
“was one of ours!”

The twins ran off, laughing.

_Kuroko and Charlotte,_ she thought bitterly. _Arthur may be glad the twins found their soul-mates so early in their lives, but they're **half-breeds!** Dumbledore just wouldn't approve. _

She also wasn't too happy with how Charlie blushes every time he makes eye-contact with Violet. _Arthur is too blinded by the abundance of Muggle gadgets to realise they should be limiting contact with what are essentially Dark creatures. Thank Merlin Charlie will be going to Hogwarts next year. Dumbledore should already be putting Bill on the right path._

She just needed to keep her children away from the O'Reilly family as much as possible.

===//===

Dumbledore read the letter Molly had sent him this morning, and realised he should have looked at it earlier. Apparently that blasted Mizuchi O'Reilly had adopted herself a 'stray' from somewhere, and she bore a remarkable resemblance to Lily Evans. He looked back as the various devices in his office, and frowned slightly, as he realised there was a faint glow coming from the only item that hadn't either melted or exploded.

_They couldn't have,_ he thought. _Their trust in me should have been 100%. there was no need for 'additional back-up plans'._

He drew his wand. “Point me. Harry Potter.”

Nothing happened.

_What would James and Lily have named a daughter?_ “Point me. Harriet Potter.” Again, nothing.

“Of course, the Evans family traditionally name their daughters after flowers,” he muttered.

An entire botanical garden of names later, and still no response.

_Time for a less subtle method._ He moved towards the fireplace, and moments later was in Mrs Figg's house.

Ten minutes later, a mind-raped Petunia was drooling and twitching on her living room floor, her Stupefied son unconscious in the hall.

That blasted O'Reilly had usurped custody of James's and Lily's child from Petunia, but had filled out ALL of the forms' details in Japanese. He replayed the memories several times, and realised she had drawn a wand to cast the 'true name' spell on Harry's details.

“Point me. Mizuchi O'Reilly.” Once again, there was no result. _That mustn't be her magically-recognised name,_ he thought.

He dumped the memories from his mind, and made a decision. He was going to find out who had laid claim to the Potter fortune. That should give him a name to trace.

Dumbledore went back to Mrs Figg's, and Floo'd to the Ministry lobby.

If he had been paying attention, he would have noticed the complex Wards he had woven around Surrey was slowly unravelling, as the runes siphoning Dudley's core were no longer there to 'power' the array .

If he had _really_ been paying attention, he would have seen Mizuchi's dragon-horn wand never left its holster on her thigh. If he had noticed, he would have found out the wand he stole from his former lover wasn't unique, he might have rethought his current course of action.

===//===

There was a brief break in Narcissa's conversation with the rest of her family, and she realised it was almost five o'clock. _Why wasn't her little Dragon complaining about boredom?_ She looked over to where four of the five children were sitting, and saw them playing some sort of board game. Venus had acquired a book from somewhere, and was quietly reading.

“The children will probably be getting hungry,” Mizuchi commented. “Should we order something from here, or should we head to one of our houses? My kitchens are well-stocked, and the children can run around in the back yard while dinner is being prepared.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” said Regulus. “There is a very ...unique... but beautiful view from Mizuchi's dining hall.”

“How wonderful,” Narcissa commented. “Shall we head to the Floo?”

Fern laughed. “Mizuchi, I'll just hand the keys back to Tom, while you open a Gate.”

Lucius nearly passed out as a rainbow-coloured runic circle appeared behind Mizuchi, a slightly blurry image of a copse of trees appeared in its centre. “How did you do that?” he nervously asked. “It normally needs a special ritual, performed by several wizards to create a Portal.”

There was a scoff from over near the children, as they were packing away their game. Violet turned towards the older wizard. “It's only a Gate spell to Surrey. It's not like Mum's making a Space-bridge class interdimensional tunnel to the Untempered Schism. Even I can make a Gate to Surrey. You just need to know your magic better.”

The group stepped through the Gate, and stood in front of the library building of the Avalon Botanical Gardens.

“You live in a flat above a muggle library?” drawled Lucius. “How quaint. I knew you liked books, Mizuchi, but I thought you would... I don't know... been more ambitious than this.”

Instead of leading them upstairs, she brought them to an unmarked door at the rear of the building. “The flat upstairs is rented to the head gardener.” She touched the hinge side of the door, and pushed. “Opening this door 'normally' just leads to the bindery.”

“Welcome home Mistress,” greeted a woman in a maid's uniform. “Shall I seat our guests in the drawing room, or should I lead them to the rear balcony?”

“Good evening Shizu,” Mizuchi replied. “I think Fern's in-laws will appreciate the view from the rear balcony. The suns set should be in a few minutes.”

“Please follow me,” directed Shizu. The group followed her through a few open rooms. She led them to a set of French windows, and gestured for them to walk through.

“That is a beautiful rose garden,” Narcissa commented, looking over the balcony railings, to the grounds spread out in front of them. Lucius grudgingly complimented the design of the fountain that formed the centrepiece of the grounds.

“Wowww!” Dorea and Draco chorused. Lucius was about to tell them off, when he turned to see what they were each looking at.

There were two suns setting in the west.

The children ran down a set of stairs near the side of the balcony, as various lights flickered to life around the gardens.

Mizuchi casually reclined on the balcony railing. “We do actually live above a library. My personal library,” she pointed to a small building, roughly the size of an average cottage. "it extends a further fifty storeys below ground, and covers an eight hundred kilometre radius.” She then pointed towards a planet that had just become visible with the suns starting to dip below the horizon. “That planet is fully-stocked with various prey animals, and a few predator species. I can arrange for various family camping or hunting trips, depending on your mood.”

“I've been following the wrong Dark Lord,” Lucius whispered.

===//===

“Cornelius, did you find out who has control of the Potter vaults?”

“That's 'Minister Fudge' to you, Dumbledore. The only information the goblins will give me is they are being held in Trust for Dorea Peverell, and only she and her Magical Guardian are authorised any access.”

“It is highly suspicious that these people managed to acquire the Potter fortune so soon after Harry Potter's unfortunate death.”

“Come now, Dumbledore. Just accept the fact the Potters had relatives, and let it go. Besides, that body wasn't Harry Potter. It was just some muggle bearing a passing resemblance. There was no evidence of magic usage on or by them. The Prophet is already planning a retraction for tomorrow's edition.”

“What did you say!? Harry Potter isn't dead!? Excuse me, but doesn't that make finding out who has control of the Potter fortune even more of a priority? Do you really want to run the risk of a Dark family having control of it?”

A door slammed open. “Minister Fudge,” shrieked Umbridge. “Orion and Walburga Black have successfully petitioned to have Sirius Black released from Azkaban, on the grounds of him never being granted a trial.”

Both men in the room paled. Sirius being released affected their own individual agendas.

“Message the prison, and have Sirius 'moved to more secure quarters' pending completion of the paperwork to have him released.” Fudge was quicker on the uptake than Dumbledore realised.

Umbridge looked shifty. Well, shiftier than normal. “I anticipated your response, sir. Unfortunately, a red-haired woman named Kobayashi Mizuchi had already handed the warden the release papers. Our contact said the Dementors were falling all over them selves to get away from her.”

“That blasted dragon!” Dumbledore punched Fudge's desk hard enough to splinter the wood.

===//===

Sirius walked through the largest library he had ever seen. “So you're telling me that half an hour ago, we passed the ...L-space?... boundary of Hogwarts, and we're now in the L-space boundary of Mizuchi's Hoard? Your hoard?”

“Yes,” replied the redhead. “You are now within my hoard.”

“So you're a dragon? I thought dragons hoarded gold and gems.”

“It depends on the dragon. There is one in Gringotts that hoards chocolate frog cards. Mum channelled my hoarding instinct into books. It took me a few years to stop sleeping on a pile of them, and to actually start using bookshelves. Okay, we're here.” A maid walked out of an alcove, near a drinking fountain, and waved 'hello' to them. “Shizu will take you through the shortcut to the mansion. If I go further, I risk crossing my own timeline. Right now, the family, myself included, and our guests are sitting down to dinner. The message of your release should be arriving five minutes before you and Shizu reach the dining room.”

“Does the Department of Mysteries know you have a Time Turner?” Sirius asked.

The redhead laughed. “Don't need one. If you know where you're going, L-space pathways include temporal elements. I know for a fact that I'm twenty kilometres west of here and four levels down. I'm also eighty kilometres north east of that version of me. Now go! I don't know if Regulus or Dorea is going to be happier to see you.”


	26. Chapter 26

Outside Interference

chapter 25

(time skip)

**Undisclosed location, somewhere in England**

Narcissa Malfoy reread the note written on the back of the star chart Regulus gave Lucius almost three months ago.

**_Lucius,_**

**_It is hard to unlearn the 'truths' we were taught for many centuries. Your family having raised the Abraxan variety of Pegasus for the past four generations should have given some insight as to why many witches have been miscarrying, and why many of us have 'weaker' magical cores than half-bloods and Squib-borns._ **

**_We're too inter-related, and birth defects are inevitably going to end us before any Muggle threat ever will._ **

**_As for those books Fern handed you and Cissa, do not lose the one labelled Astronavigation. She said the only way you'll understand why so many potions and rituals have been losing their effectiveness is to see for yourself._ **

**_-Reg_ **

Narcissa turned the page over, and looked at the notes written over the map

**_Moste Potente Potions, page 51. 28th December, 2:15AM. Look to the left of the Pulsar._ **

There was a red circle just above it.

**_Blessings of the Land, page 188. 5th January, 1995. 11:45pm._ **

She looked up at Lucius, as he nervously set up his telescope. They both knew the significance of the second note. The Malfoy family has performed that ritual on their heirs upon their coming of age for generations, although the ritual had weakened over the last three generations.

“Cissa, I thought the notations this 'Hikari O'Reilly' wrote next to her potion titles were nonsense, and then I realised they referred to the numbers in this Astronavigation book.” Lucius pointed to the position in the sky indicated on the star-chart “I thought this star was completely insignificant, but look! It flashes in a regular pattern!”

Narcissa looked through the telescope's eyepiece. The star was indeed flashing. “So that's a Pulsar. Mizuchi said it was the core of a burnt-out star. They apparently give off signals Muggle wireless receivers can pick up.”

2:15 AM approached, and Lucius focused on the point indicated. “Merlin's Beard!” he shouted. “It's gone! The star got brighter for a moment, and then disappeared. Shit!” He flipped the pages of the book to another entry. “This is why Dreamless Sleep only became addictive 150 years ago.” He pointed to the notes in the margin. “This star became that Pulsar. The nature of the heavens isn't constant, like we've been taught.”

===//===

**Ottery St Catchpole Primary School**

“Mister Wilson,” said the woman holding the clipboard. “Could you please explain to me why Cassandra O'Reilly and Kuroko O'Reilly are both in class 3A, when you have two year three classes?”

Wilson picked up the second clipboard, meant for the planned inspection of class 3B. “Look at the list of names in our other class, Miss Frobisher.”

She read down the list. “Oh. Charlotte O'Reilly and Sally O'Reilly. This family has four girls the same age?”

“We're well aware that we shouldn't have siblings in the same class, but we only have enough students for two classes. The best we could do was to separate the two identical ones. They still occasionally pull the old switcheroo between classes, but the teachers can usually figure it out. Unless Fred and George do the same thing. You'll see why during the day.” Wilson lead the school inspector out to he hall.

Frobisher looked back at her clipboard. “A set of twins and a set of quadruplets in the school is a little unusual.”

“Not exactly quadruplets,” said Wilson. “You'll see when you enter the classroom. However two sets of identical twins in the same school is still unusual.”

They could hear the general chatter of the children, as the teachers each entered their classrooms, although the speed of class 3A coming to order, as their teacher entered did surprise Frobisher a little.

“Good Morning Class 3A,” Wilson prompted.

“Good morning, Mr Wilson.”  
“Ohayoo-gozaimasu, Wilson-sensei.”

Frobisher was drawn to the discord in the students' greeting. Sitting to one side of the classroom, towards the back was a red-haired boy and a red-haired girl. The girls eyes were hidden by her fringe, but a hint of a frown could still be seen on her face, as she raised her gloved hand towards her throat. “Fred!” she exclaimed, as she lightly slapped the boy on his arm.

Fred grinned, and brushed his hand past the girl's hair, revealing to Frobisher that she had three sets of eyes. He then performed what was obviously a well rehearsed variation of the 'coin behind the ear' trick, revealing a small necklace with a red pendant. The girl pouted at him. Frobisher suddenly realised the girl was an arachne, and her gloves were so she didn't accidentally hurt anyone with her chitinous claws. Frobisher quickly looked around, and realised there were four other demi-humans in the class; a blonde arachne and a harpy sat near the front of the classroom, a male centaur was near the back, and a male dragonewt was in the middle row.

“Fred, give Kuroko back her translation amulet,” said Wilson.

Kuroko replaced her necklace. “Sorry, sir. My boyfriend is being a prat.”

It was Fred's turn to pout, but his expression quickly changed back, as Kuroko hugged him, causing a chorus of “Ewww!” to come from most of the rest of the class, followed by most of the girls giggling.

“Yes, yes. Fred and Kuroko are all lovey-dovey,” Wilson addressed the class. “Does everyone have their permission slips for this afternoon's excursion?”

“Yes!” chorused the class.

“Cassandra, can you please collect them, and bring them up here?” Wilson asked. The blonde arachne picked her way around the classroom. The girl's movements reminded Frobisher of a tank, pivoting on the spot, whenever she turned.

Cassandra deposited the forms on Wilson's desk. “Jodie's parents wouldn't sign her form,” she whispered. “Hedwig and I can stay behind and keep her company. We'd both feel bad leaving her here by herself.”

“That's okay,” Wilson replied quietly. “I'll talk to Miss Jenson during recess, and have her sit in with class 4A. I need you two and class 3B's representatives to help us out during the excursion.”

Cassandra turned towards Frobisher. “Before you ask. We have two female class reps because Fred was the only boy to put his hand up for the position, and the Principal vetoed his appointment. The same happened with George in 3B.”

She returned to her desk, and the class continued as normal. Frobisher wandered the classroom, observing the students as Wilson taught them the ins and out of basic algebra. As she looked at the children going through their workbooks, she noticed that they didn't all have the same ones. “Mr Weasley, why do you have the Year Five workbook?”

“Because that's what Mr Wilson assigned me, after I finished the Year Four book last semester,” he replied.”

Kuroko looked up from her own workbook, and clasped Fred's hand between both of hers, causing him to blush. “Fred is very smart, so Mr Wilson had to do what he could to encourage him to do his best. ICEP bent their rules slightly to provide the extra materials.”

“Is that why your book is differential calculus?” Frobisher asked.

Kuroko looked a bit shifty. “That's because I start spinning webs when I'm bored,” she whispered. “Instincts aren't always good things. That's why Bart is over in the corner, near the fire exit. Centaurs are arachnophobic, and that keeps him from feeling trapped.”

“Why did they put him in a class with tow of you, then?”

“Because his twin sister's 'fight or flight' response swings the other way when she freaks out, and having only one less arachne in the classroom makes it easier to keep Daisy away from Charlotte.”

There was a snort from the girls behind them. “She's not scared of spiders. Daisy is just jealous of all of the hand-holding and hugs Charlotte gives George.” She sighed. “You and your sister are so lucky. Azrael, Leo, Fred, George, and Charlie are the only cool boys in school, but Charlie is going to his brother's boarding school next year.”

“And Leo is actually a girl,” added the girl next to her, blushing. “None of us knew, until last month, when they assigned a school doctor, and we all had to get check-ups. I'd still marry him in a second.”

“Miss Frobisher,” chided Wilson. “I thought your inspection wasn't going to disrupt our lessons. Kuroko, if you've finished doing your calculus workbook, please move on to practising writing in English. Millicent, Marie, please return to finishing your workbooks.”

===//===

Recess was similar to most of the other schools.

Frobisher looked around to see happy children in their usual playground antics. She was still getting used to young boys proudly showing off lunch-boxes plastered in fairy stickers. The recent popularity of Flitterball has changed the opinion of what is 'girly' to so many people.

Another thing she noticed was there didn't appear to be the usual playground bullying. She was actually amazed there was only one teacher on playground duty. Most of the schools this size had three or four.

“Before you say anything,” said Wilson. “Two years ago, there was an incident. The boy of one of the local councilmen at the time used to bully a lot of the younger kids. Now, only ICEP know the full details, but he and his gang tried to do something inappropriate with Jodie, and Cassandra put a stop to it. I only found out because Hedwig didn't want her best friend to get into trouble when ICEP were called in for an Extraspecies assaulting a human.”

“She assaulted a human? When she was six?” Frobisher couldn't see the girl, currently conversing in sign language with a deaf fifth year, as being violent.

“She assaulted six of them, actually” said Wilson. “Although five of them were only snared by her webs, it still counted as assault. The councilman's son's right arm was broken. The ICEP investigator said she used the same blow their SRTs use to disarm knife-wielders. To be fair, the kid did have a knife at the time. All of the Extraspecies children are fully aware they're much stronger than regular humans, and they know it. If you look around, you'll notice they aren't bullying any of the others. The student council actually handles most of the incidents without me.” He sighed, and raised his loud-hailer “Charlotte! Let Daisy out of that web! Daisy! I know you started it! I can see your sword on the ground!”

===//===

The end of recess saw Frobisher in class 3B. Just like their counterpart across the hallway, the only disruptions to the classroom were girls giggling at the redheaded couple. George and Charlotte this time. Daisy was at the Principal's office for bringing a weapon to school.

Their teacher walked up to the class's rolling blackboard and flipped it over. “Class 3B, this term's project is to research, and prepare your Family Tree.” The image on the blackboard was a 'generic' example of one.

Frobisher heard a quiet gasp from the boy near her.

A scaled hand shot into the air, belonging to a red-haired Lamia. From the way her eyes were looking to one side, she heard the gasp too.

“Yes Sally?” asked the teacher.

“Miss Roberts, how detailed do you want it?” asked Sally. “Some of us are going to have ...problems... with this project.”

**cough** **cough** “harem” **cough** came from a boy near the back of the room.

Sally turned to face the boy. “No, James. I was trying to be tactful on behalf of a couple of other students, or did you forget about your own situation?”

James went red. “How did you know about that?”

“Please!” she responded. “You're not the first one on the planet to find out his dad was really the milkman.” She turned back to face her teacher. “The reason I asked was because I know some families are more complex than others. I already know Charlotte's and my Family trees are going to be ...problematic. Do we really need to include dates of birth?”

Miss Roberts sighed. “I thought you would be more worried about how you were going to fit your whole family on one page.” She turned to Frobisher. “One of her Aunts is a Dryad Queen. The UN declared that a Dryad's symbiotic creatures count as their children. This means she has a lot of cousins.” She turned back to Sally. “Why would dates of birth worry you.”

“We'd be breaking the law if we included them,” she replied.

Realisation bloomed on Miss Roberts's face. “Ah, hell. I forgot about that. Excuse me a moment.”

Just as she opened the door, Wilson appeared to be about to knock. “The birth dates? I'll be heading back.”

Miss Roberts got the class back on track, and Frobisher wandered around the class, watching the children start making rough sketches of their Family Trees.

===//===

**Dragonewt Village**

The students all disembarked from the school buses. Frobisher could see that, with a few exceptions, it was the first time the eight year olds have seen a demi-human village. It half-embarrassed her that it was also her first time in one.

They were greeted by a female Dragonewt, with what looked to be a prosthetic wing, and both classes were split into smaller groups, each led by one of the village's elders.

Frobisher followed one of the groups, to have a look at the forge, before wandering off by herself. Her eye was drawn to a crystalline pillar in front of what was obviously the chief's hut. As she stood behind the barrier surrounding it, she tried to figure out how it was made. The figure inside it looked so lifelike.

“This structure commemorates when our previous chief met Mizuchi Kobayashi,” said the dragonewt from earlier.

“The Director of ICEP personally visited here?” Frobisher asked.

“She wasn't the Director at the time,” she replied. “I used to be a Scout, and when I tried to warn my Father not to do anything to upset our new neighbours, the arrogant fool banished me.”

“The 'new neighbours' including the O'Reillys and Kobayashis, right?”

“There was only one Kobayashi at that time. Only Dragons in their family line take on that name. It's something to do with honouring a family member who made a great sacrifice. When she's being informal, she still uses O'Reilly. Anyway, when she came to confront my father about how he treated me, he stupidly tried to pull the 'submit to me, I'm descended from dragons' routine on her, and grabbed her breast.”

Frobisher gasped in shock.

“Her response to that action was.” Her voice went gravelly. “'Remove that hand from me, or I'll remove it from you.'” Her voice returned to normal. “He then threatened to kill her family if she didn't comply.” She indicated towards the pillar. “That's him in there. Mizuchi sliced his hand off, at the wrist, using her tailblade, and then somehow ...froze... time. He's still alive in there.” She looked towards the group of children that included the blonde arachne. “Cassandra doesn't like looking at this. She says it hurts her mind.”

“I suppose knowing the nature of what this is could unsettle some people.”

“No. She's a Seer. The best analogy I can give would be looking at this for her would be like watching someone using an arc welder.”

===//===

**Surrey. ICEP medical ward.**

“How's your mother, Dudley?” asked Juniper.

Dudley hesitantly looked towards the girl. “The wizard doctor at your mum's work said she might be able to be released from hospital in a few days. Doctor Tonks said it would be a miracle if any of the memories past when she was seven return to her.” His face sunk slightly. “She's still having trouble accepting she's a mother. I don't even know where we're going to live. Dad freaked out when he found out I would have been like my cousin, if that thing on my head hadn't been put there. The police said he threw all of our stuff out as soon as he left the hospital. He hasn't been back to see either of us.”

“Smegheaded bastard!” Juniper commented.

“Should we go visit her?” Dorea asked. “She is my Aunt.”

“You'd give her a heart attack,” said Juniper.

Dudley looked at the faded lightning-bolt scar above Dorea's eye. He wasn't stupid. He saw enough movies and played enough video games to know what the bad guys did to girls, so it made sense that his aunt and uncle would use magic to disguise his cousin as a boy. If Violet's and Juniper's parents hadn't used magic paperwork to adopt her, Dorea would have been the spitting image of his long-dead aunt Lily. He still thought it was cool magic turned his cousin into a dragon.

He understood why they did it. It made her safe, and got her away from the wizard who hurt him and his mum. “Is it because Dorea looks like Aunt Lily when she hides her horns, or because they haven't introduced the idea of demi-humans to mum yet?”

“Probably both,” said Violet. “At least she would be in a hospital already, if the shock got to her. As for where you're going to live, I heard the lawyers of the person that owns 4 Privet Drive gave your father an eviction notice about three weeks ago.” She gave a sidelong glance to Dorea. “I heard Lady Peverell wants vacant possession of the property for her recently-invalided aunt.”

“Huh?” Dudley looked confused.

Dorea rolled her eyes. “The house belongs to me. After I got over ranting to my parents about how Uncle Vernon used to complain about how much money he 'spent' on me, especially because I also found out he was getting paid £1000 a month from my trust fund, directly deposited to his bank account, to raise me, I seriously considered having the place bulldozed, just to spite you. Then I thought about all that effort I put into the gardens.”

“Didn't Llif-Gadwyn convince you to let your aunt move in, because 'just wanting to demolish the joint' would make it easier for Vernon to reside in the property beyond his eviction date?” Violet commented.

“That, plus everyone living there was under the influence of those blood wards. The legal department at Gringotts are already working on recovering the money Vernon spent 'raising' me. It seems that a transfer of funds document signed by a one year old might just possibly be fraudulent,” sarcasm radiated from Dorea.

Dudley's face showed relief. His cousin wasn't going to just throw him and his mother onto the street.

“Did you know Grunnings Drills is going to be going through an audit next week?” Juniper fake-asked. “As of next financial quarter, it will be renamed Grunnings Engineering and Precision Tools. Someone bought up the majority shareholder position, to be held in Trust, for their six year old child, who has an aptitude for engineering. Mr Grunning is happy with the arrangement, because the board kept blocking his plans to diversify. I would rather my company's quarterly profit dipped briefly, if it meant the business would still actually exist after twenty years.”

Dorea's mouth dropped in shock. “You own a controlling share in Grunnings? I wanted to mess with Vernon.”

Juniper scoffed. “My way gets him canned, without him being able to trace it to you. This way has him fired by the Board due to the pre-acquisition audit finding out one of their mid-level managers was being pursued for bank-fraud.”

“But how will me and mum afford to live?” Dudley was in tears, as he realised the three girls in front of him were talking about his father being financially ruined, and he had no idea how his mother could get a job due to what was done to her mind.

“Doctor Tonks had a magical inheritance test done on you, prior to your surgery,” said Violet. “Your core may have been severely damaged, but you're still the Heir of Hufflepuff. She was a very important witch, when she was alive. The goblins will be happy that they can start reinvesting your Vault. ICEP also have a signature trace on the wizard who attacked you. Gringotts is going to be dragging 600 galleons a month from his account until he can prove it wasn't him. Such a shame there are only 3 elder-wood wands with Reaper-scythe-shard cores in this world, and two of them have the wrong quantum signatures. Aunt Renata's has only ever been used for healing and potion-making, and since the day mother won it in combat, she has only used hers for legal documents.”

Dorea stretched. Small arcs of electricity leapt from the pink tips of her hair to her red-and-pink-feathered wings. “Dudley, we're not monsters.”

“Speak for yourself, chibi-kaiju,” said Juniper.

“Get bent, Mothra.” Dorea gave her the two-finger-salute, surprising Dudley. Dorea was never that confident before. “Like I said, Dudley, we're not monsters. All of us are still kids. You have seen first-hand what happens when you're a selfish git. What happened to Aunt Petunia was terrible, but she's now got a second chance. Vernon proved himself to be a monster, by dropping you both like hot rivets. He can get pushed into the ocean by Greenpeace for all I care. Oh. Hi Doctor Tonks.”

“Good afternoon Dorea,” greeted Andromeda. “How are your glasses?”

“They're pretty good,” she replied. “Who knew I'd end up with the same eyesight issues as my _adopted_ mother.”

“Magic,” commented Violet. “It does some weird shi- stuff.”

A man in black 'traditional' robes, with lanky black hair, sallow skin, and a hooked nose walked down the hall. “Andi, I've just given Tuney a dose of Calming Potion. I had to break the news to her Lily was de- **FUCKING HELL!** ”

“Hey! I'm not that scary,” said Violet. Dorea flipped-off her other sister.

“Mr Snape,” said Andromeda. “You already know Dudley Dursley, soon to go back to Evans. The girl with the purple hair is Juniper Dwllphyrn, her green-haired sister is Violet Kobayashi, and her red-haired sister is Dorea Kobayashi. Her resemblance to Lily Evans is just one of those things. Dorea, could you show him your eyes without the glasses? See, Severus. Dorea and Violet are both dragons. Dorea is a Storm-dragon, and Violet is a Forest-dragon. You know their mother, Mizuchi.”

“The Frost-dragon,” sniffed Snape. “Is she still living above the library in Surrey? All that power, and all she wants to do is office-work, and child raising. Typical Hufflepuff lack of ambition.”

“Severus, you do know she's in charge of ICEP?” Andromeda commented. “That 'typical Hufflepuff' runs most of the planet, but delegates everything so no one realises. A proper Slytherin would never draw a target to themselves by actually being sorted into Slytherin House.”


	27. Chapter 27

Outside interference

chapter 26

_++Three... two... one...++_

Hiroshi kicked open the door, and dove to the side, a shotgun blast just missing him.

“ICEP! Drop your weapons, and surrender!”

_++1.5 metres to the left of the door. Within thirty centimetres of the wall.++_

_++Got it.++_ Hiroshi flicked a flash-bang in the direction indicated.

An armoured fist punched through the wall, and grabbed the arm of the disoriented target. Three seconds later, an armoured form burst through the wall separating the neighbouring flat, and tackled the guy with the shotgun.

Several screams could be heard from the adjoining room, followed by the distinct sound an energy weapon discharge.

“Sorry honey,” called Ventris, from the other room. “He was about to execute the hostages.” Hiroshi opened the door, to see his wife untying a bound and naked harpy. There were several other bound females, of different races, all were staring at a smoking pile of ash just in front of the window. “It's a good thing humans don't think to look up. That saved their lives.”

Hiroshi pressed the button on his comm-device. “Perimeter, this is insertion squad. Gemini has two perps for pick up. We also have six code nine alphas ...and a code nine charlie.”

_“A charlie?”_ came the reply over the radio. _“Shit! Tell me it wasn't Gemini.”_

_**%we resent that implication%** _ echoed two voices over the comm.

“The charlie was on me,” said Ventris. “Bring some blankets for the hostages. I used my silk traversing the rooftops to get here, and rappelling down the wall.”

Six police in SRT gear entered the room, and took charge of the prisoners, and two female paramedics handed the girls blankets. Gemini, Ventris and Hiroshi assisted them in leading them down to the awaiting ambulances.

Hiroshi tried to hide his laugh, when one of the coroners climbing the stairs shrieked like a girl, upon laying eyes on the twin cybermen in ICEP SRT gear.

**%you'd think they'd never seen a rescue op run smoothly before%** said both of them simultaneously.

===//===

_The Alpha-predator stalked towards her prey. Her chosen target futilely tried to blend in with others of its kind, but it was all in vain. The nature of the terrain meant she couldn't use her wings, and take it from above, so she carefully scaled the vertical surface. She was now in position to grasp her unsuspecting prey. Reaching for its spine-_

“DOREA! If you needed to borrow a ladder, you only had to ask.”

“Sorry Mr Flourish,” Dorea guiltily clutched her book closely to her.

“You're starting to pick up Violet's bad habits,” Flourish commented, causing the other dragon in the shop to blush.

“Oh your God!” Juniper's voice called from the 'children's section' of the shop. “Violet! Juniper! Look what Mr Blott brought in.” Juniper walked up to the front of the store with a book in each of her right hands. “Volumes one and two of 'The Adventures of Harry Potter' were on one of the shelves.”

Flourish sighed. “I didn't think you'd be interested in that series. It's way below your reading level.”

Violet looked sideways, towards her red-haired sister. “I hope the royalties for those books are going to the correct people.”

Dorea smirked. “I doubt it.” She looked at the titles of the books. “I doubt any five or six year old could do this stuff.”

“Maybe in the timeline where the legendary Marauders raised him,” said Juniper. “Remember what Mum told us. Most of the inspiration for fictional stories are from memories of real events 'leaking' across timelines.”

Flourish raised an eyebrow. “I'm pretty sure the author is just full of it. That's why it's in the fiction section.” He looked pointedly at Dorea. “Besides that, if James's and Lily's child was caught fighting a fire dragon, I'm sure either one of her step-parents or one of the goblins would break it up before the bank caught fire.” He looked at the three gaping faces in front of him. “Who do you think taught Lily that spell seven years ago? Now, you three might be interested to know my cousin just received a shipment of books from a Gringotts foreclosure. She mentioned that she might need some help sorting through them.”

Three little faces lit up. “Mum will be so jealous,” said Violet.

“I'll let Reg know where you went, after he brings Venus back from her Herbologist appointment.”

“Thanks Mr Flourish!” the trio chorused, as they left the store.

===//===

Dumbledore suppressed a grimace as he saw three giggling half-breed children skipping out of Flourish and Blotts. Publicly, he had to keep up his 'friendly grandfather' persona, and it didn't help that he still wasn't getting much sleep looking for the Potter child.

“Violet, slow down!” called out the redhead, who was carrying several books. As she readjusted her glasses, she reminded him of a miniature version of that irritating chit from seven years ago.

_Of course, he thought. That must be O'Reilly's ...no... **Kobayashi's** daughter. Her wings are just feathered for some reason. _

The one addressed as 'Violet' spun around. She tucked her mostly-green hair back behind her face, revealing a vivid snowflake pattern over her right eye.

_That has to be her,_ he thought. _The horcrux must have changed shape to 'defend' itself from being detected._

Dumbledore decided to bide his time for now. Living with half-breeds will keep 'Violet Kobayashi' alienated from proper wizarding society, meaning he could still salvage his plans.

===//===

“...killed...”

“...disowned by Abraxus...”

“...only the clothes on their backs...”

They could hear the whispers as they walked down Knockturn, to help Mr Flourish's cousin. She ran the bookstore at the end of the alley.

“We might need to take the regular way home instead of opening a Gate,” Violet quietly told her sisters. “There are two hostels in the area as well as the Cauldron.”

A shadowy figure suddenly loomed over the trio of almost-seven-year-olds. “Taking your giant pet bug for a walk?” he sneered.

Silence rippled from a rapidly expanding circle around the group. The area had its reputation, but humans are still humans, and humans love a good show. Someone was already placing bets. Many of them knew who these three girls were. They were seen in the area often enough.

One of the locals glanced towards the 'office' of Miss Josiah, and was in two minds about interrupting the Herbologist. Regulus Black and/or his Dryad consort brought their daughter here for regular check-ups. The back-room clinic at Miss Josiah's was the closest many of the residents of Knockturn had to an affordable Healer, without risking venturing into Muggle London. Bringing the Aurors' attention to the area would also bring the Ministry's attention.

_Fuck it,_ she thought. This was too important. The bell rang, as she entered the shop. “Lord Black,” she called out. “Some idiot is getting between your daughters and Mrs Greenfield's bookstore.”

===//===

“It's better than what the wizards would force you into,” said Renata, as she opened a set of double doors. Narcissa hugged Draco, as they followed the lamia into an unoccupied wing of Sturmdrachen Manor.

“It's going to take a while to sort out the mess Abraxus made of your finances,” she continued. “It could take months, to be brutally honest.”

“I keep thinking all of this generosity comes with a catch” Narcissa commented.

“You're Reg's cousin,” Renata replied. “Family always supports family. The only 'catch' to living here is that we have no idea how the other wizard families living nearby will treat you and Draco.”

She glanced towards Draco, as he glanced shyly past his mother, towards the doorway, where some of her children had gathered. Leo broke away from the small group, and confidently strode up to the two blondes.

“Hi! I'm Leo,” Leo greeted, extending a hand. “That's Sally, Azrael, and Cass. Do you want to come join us at the lake? The fairies and pixies are going to have Flitterball practice.”

Narcissa looked in askance at Renata.

“It's a version of Quidditch,” she replied.

Draco grasped the offered hand. “I'm Draco,” he blushed. “Fairies play Quidditch?”

Leo raised an eyebrow. “Yes. So do pixies, doxies, and a few other races the rules are just adjusted for their wings.”

“That was unexpected,” Narcissa commented, as the children ran/slithered down the hall. “Draco seems to have a bit of a crush on your son.”

Renata gave a small chuckle. “Yeah. He may or may not grow out of it. He's only seven. On the other hand, I fell for Hiroshi the moment I laid eyes on him.”

A worried look crossed Narcissa's face. “He's going to be stigmatised, having been disowned from House Malfoy. We're already being labelled as blood traitors by Lucuis's former associates. It's a small mercy Uncle Orion has given a public statement to the Prophet that I'm still part of House Black.”

“That's something, I guess,” commented Renata, leading her to a nearby set of armchairs. “He'll get at least some family magic. I'm originally from this version of Earth, and I know how important that is.”

“This version of Earth?”

“With enough power, magic or otherwise, you can travel through time.”

“I know that. Time Turners are notoriously difficult to create, and can be very dangerous in the wrong hands.”

“There are also other means of travel. When I met Mizuchi, I found out that you can also travel 'sideways' in time. When I was a child, the Inquisition found where Dad was keeping us hidden. I retreated to the library and, in my panic, my magic flared. Next thing I knew, I was in a burning library, in a ruined set of town-houses in Grimmauld Place, in London. There were these giant, three-legged, metal constructs. They were setting fire to things and launching cannisters of some thick, black smoke indiscriminately into the people.”

“Dear Merlin!”

“I was cowering in those ruins, with a family of four, for hours. And then one came for us. None of the spells Mr and Mrs Black were firing off at the thing could do more than throw its aim off. They couldn't even dent their armour with an AK. We were lucky, though, all because of a very dangerous twelve-year-old girl.”

“Mizuchi?”

“Yeah. Mizuchi. A three-headed frost dragon , even one barely a metre tall, is something you should not cross. They apparently burned the Library of Saint John the Beheaded, right in front of her.

“Do you know what happens when a particle of cryo-matter goes down the barrel of a Martian death ray, just as it is about to discharge? That version of London no longer has its Big Ben. The second one swung its weapon away at the last moment, and shattered, as the heat from its 'engine' combined with the extreme cold destabilised its structure. She missed the third, because of a stray spell from us.

“Next thing we knew, she transformed to her 'human' form, and cut its legs off with her tail blade, and executed the pilot, by impaling it with her halberd, and discharging her magic through it. She brought me back to her timeline, via the magical archive under the London National Library.”

Narcissa took a mouthful of the firewhisky one of the House-elves had placed within reach. Her mouth moved for a moment, as she replayed some of the story through her head. “...sweet Morgana... One way or another, our families were always destined to meet.”


	28. Chapter 28

Outside Interference

Chapter27

**London**

The first sign something was amiss, was when Nymphodora Tonks didn't receive her Hogwarts letter. When the DMLE called for an official enquiry, the Wizengamot voted against it. Amelia Bones expected certain parties to vote the way they did. The various factions and individuals had their own prejudices, either because of her being a Black, marrying a Muggle-born against her family's wishes, or daring to work as a Healer for an upstart 'muggle' organisation, instead of St Mungos.

The motion was doomed to fail, however, when Albus Dumbledore downplayed the whole thing. He claimed that due to concerns about 'dark creatures' potentially harming the students, the Book of Admissions had been warded against non-humans receiving letters. He assured the gathered members and witnesses Nymphadora's metamorphmagus ability might have tripped those 'safety measures' by accident, and he would 'look into it' and an official enquiry was 'unnecessary'.

When she told Andi and Ted what happened, they were obviously disappointed.

“We could enrol her at Beauxbatons,” Ted suggested. “It will be expensive, but her magical education is important.”

“There might be a different option,” Andi said, as she looked across her office desk, and indicated the different information and education materials on display. “The ICEP people already have classes a couple of days a week to assist magical children, and their parents, to understand their abilities, and reduce any bursts of accidental magic through education.” A smile appeared on her face, as she picked up the telephone. There were rumours Andi's cousin was one of the infamous Marauders, and Amelia could believe it.

The phone rang for a few moments, before Amelia heard the faint answer. “Doctor Slytherin's office.”

“Renata, it's Andi. I'm putting you on speaker,” Andi pressed a button, and replaced the handset.

“Hi Renata,” greeted Ted.

“Amelia, Renata is one of the department heads for ICEP. Renata, Amelia is chief Auror for the DMLE,” Andi explained. “Renata, I remember you mentioning that your family completed their magical education through correspondence.” Amelia raised an eyebrow.

“We did,” Renata replied. “Although some of us did better than others.”

“Andi, are you suggesting we establish a correspondence school in Britain for the children who won't be receiving Hogwarts letters?” Amelia asked.

“Yes,” Andi confirmed.

“Interesting idea,” mused Renata. “It would take a bit of work to initially set up. We'd need to prepare locations for practical sessions, and ensure we're properly registered with the necessary departments.”

“I can draft up a proposal for the ICW,” Ted offered. “An extra school can only be a good thing.”

“Plus it will stick it to those bigots in the Wizengamot,” Andi chuckled. “Didn't they look down on your education, when you first arrived here?”

Renata chuckled. “I'll talk to the rest of the Board, and ask Mizuchi to coordinate with UNIT. We might need to use some of their facilities for duelling and suchlike.”

===//===

**Surrey**

Juniper and several other children were taking a break, and looking up. Playing tag is a lot more intense when your circle of friends includes three dragons, a harpy, and two psyrens. Sure, she could fly too, but nowhere near as quickly as the others. Her body shape was meant for a creature that rarely grew more than 15 centimetres tall, and what little magic she had was usually channelled into the mass-reduction runes in the necklace her mothers made for her. Sometimes being human-sized sucked.

There were cheers from the goblin kids as Fellblade, one of the Gringotts dragons (and Ragnok's adopted daughter) tried a Frolov Chakra to counter Dorea's Immelmann Turn, only to be replaced by disappointed groans, as she was intercepted by Hedwig's Split-S.

“When did they change the game to practice dogfighting?” asked one of the humans, as Huginn and Muninn had their formation broken by Violet's Skyhammer Dive.

“When the opportunity arises, it is always wise to hone your combat skills,” one of the goblin children replied. She looked up. “Who's in which team?”

“Dorea and Hedwig, Huginn and Muninn, Fellblade and Violet,” Said Dudley. “At least, at the moment. For a dragon that spends most of her time underground, Fellblade is pretty skilled.”

“Whachoo freaks lookin' at?” demanded a whiny voice.

“Fuck off Piers!” said Juniper. “Don't you have shiny things to giggle at?”

It was summer break, and even though Dudley was no longer part of it, what was left of his old gang was still up to its usual antics. If anything, Polkiss had become worse, as he tried to 'prove' he was still 'worthy' of ruling the gang.

“Whatcha gonna do bug?” he taunted, shoving her. “The law says that if you touch me, the rozzers can take you away. You and your sister were breaking the law, stopping us from Harry Hunting.”

Juniper looked at the 'brave' human, with two of his henchmen just behind him, giving him additional confidence. Unknown to them, she could also smell the two boys 'sneaking up' on her four and eight. “It took you long enough to figure it out. That was nine months ago,” she said. “Dudley must have been the brains of the organisation.”

“I'm thinking we should go on a bug hunt,” he sneered.

“Not going to happen,” she replied, giving the goblins a subtle head-shake. “The law works both ways. Besides, there are exemptions and exceptions to the law.”

“Huh?” said one of the henchmen.

“She's going to claim self defence,” commented Piers. “We'll just claim your 'gang' bullied the three of us first. Then it's our word against yours.” 

Juniper laughed. “There are five of you, and I don't need to touch you.” There was a low buzzing, just on the edge of human hearing. “Oh dear,” Juniper's voice was borderline sarcastic, “that sounds like the local beehives' inhabitants have caught the a scent of a giant hornet, and are going to attack it. If you're quick enough you might make it to the lake in the middle of the park.”

“Idiot!” laughed Piers. “They're after you!”

There was laughter from the now-landed Huginn and Muninn.  
“She put you all”   
“inside a”  
“pheromone cloud.”  
“You all smell”  
“like angry hornets.”

Fellblade joined in the laughter. “Jun, you half-dryad cheat! Changing your scent to match the local plant-life means I can't collect on my £10 bet with your sister!”

There was further laughter from the group, as the gang started running.

===//===

**Gringotts Caverns**

“{Alpha! They're not even real dragons!}”

“{Why? Because the one called Mizuchi can't breathe fire? You haven't seen the damage her breath can do.}”

“{I'm talking about their parentage and their upbringing! Fellblade is the only one of the four who had dragons for both parents, but none of the four knows anything of our culture. Fellblade was raised by goblins! She thinks _Chocolate Frog Cards_ are valuable for Damocles' sake! We're already compromising our traditions by guarding other peoples' treasures!}”

“{Need I remind you, that if it wasn't for Mizuchi's brother, we'd still be stuck in the one form, and our 'culture' would still be vaguely-remembered memories.}”

“{Just because you think he's hot, doesn't change the fact they're not dragons. If Emperor Damocles was still alive today, what would he think if he saw you lusting after that human?}”

“{He'd be proud of me forging an alliance with the clan of such a powerful dragon.}”

===//===

**4 Privet Drive**

Mizuchi carefully moved the penlight, watching Petunia carefully. “Well, the good news is there doesn't appear to be any long-term physiological issues with what that bastard did to your mind.” She jotted some notes into her wrist computer.

Petunia sighed in relief.

“Any trouble from Vernon?”

“None yet. I think he's too busy dealing with those bank fraud charges. I still can't accept that I hated my sister so much, I forced my own niece to sleep in a broom cupboard.” Petunia shook her head. “I can still see Lily in her, but it could just be the wishful thinking because you both have red hair and similar bone structures.” A tear dropped down her cheek. “I screwed up that bad a _dragon_ had to rescue my niece from the monsters we'd become.”

“To be fair, you were under the influence of a magic spell,” commented the dragon. “The guy who did it even tampered with your son's magic, just to keep his plans on track. Dudley will never be able to cast spells without hurting himself, but we'll do what we can for him. Speaking of 'doing what we can', let's get your next cooking lesson underway. Venus, do you want to help Ms Evans bake a chocolate cake?”

The tiny dryad walked in from tending to the roses. “Is that a silly question, Mummy?”

There was a knock on the door.

Venus tilted her head slightly. “There's an oversized woman with a bulldog out front. The tree near the front gate doesn't like her. She's the reason Dorea is afraid of dogs.”

“You help Ms Evans with the cake,” Mizuchi told her daughter. “I'll answer the door.”

“Who are you?!” Marge demanded, as the door opened. “Where is that ungrateful bitch, Petunia?! I know she still lives here!”

“You must be related to Vernon Dursley,” Mizuchi fake-cheerily greeted. “Is there a particular reason you wish to speak with her?”

Marge's eyes narrowed, as she took in Mizuchi's facial features. “You're one of those freaks the government has been letting into the country. That ungrateful bitch stole Vernon's son! I'm taking him back with me, until this awful farce of a court case is over.”

“He stole money from his nephew's Trust Account, using falsified documents,” replied Mizuchi. “He's going to be cooling his heels at Her Majesty's pleasure for a long time.”

“Nephew?” Mizuchi heard Petunia whisper, too quietly for a human to hear.

“Your sister used magic to disguise Dorea as a boy,” Venus quietly whispered back. “Everyone says I'm not old enough to know why yet.”

“He only stole a £1000. He was entitled to use that money in compensation for giving that brat a roof over his head,” sneered Marge. “The courts will let him go, when they realise Vernon was entitled to that money.”

“Per month,” corrected Mizuchi. “Vernon Dursley stole £1000 _per month_ from that account, for five years.”

Marge's face paled. “T-that much?”

“Yes,” replied Mizuchi. “And for the record, your brother disowned Dudley. Now, I suggest you go home. Your dog is terrified of me.”

“Scared? Of you?” came her incredulous voice. “Ripper is a champion fi- uh, prize winner. Nothing scares him.”

Mizuchi noticed the slip, and smiled, giving Marge a good view of her fangs.

“Mummy, you can't eat the dog!” Venus called from the kitchen. “Or the human!”

THUMP!

Mizuchi felt a touch of pride in her hearts. Venus had her mother's instincts for cooperative intimidation.


	29. Chapter 29

Outside Interference

Chapter 28

Dorea woke up feeling a combination of cramped and itchy.

Everything felt like the day after Vernon had forced 'Harry' to paint the fence, as a 'present' for her fifth birthday.

“How the hell can hair itch?” she mumbled, as she stumbled out of bed, scratching her arms.

“You too, huh?” commented Violet. Dorea could see her sister also scratching her arms, and could see flaking on her face, where she had obviously scratched earlier.

“Oh, wow! Both of you? I'll go find one of the adults,” Juniper commented, as they came out into the hallway. “I think I saw Shizu down this way.” She ran down the hall.

A familiar scuttling sound echoed up the hallway from the other direction. “We aren't visiting Grandma and Grandpa today,” Venus' voice called from around the corner. “Daddy said Grandma caught Dragon Pox, and they're at the hospit- **_Oh my Gods!_ ** ” Venus transformed her chair into its treasure-chest form, and backed up so fast, its legs dug gouges into the oak floor.

Out of concern for the panic in their little sister's voice, both dragons ran forward to comfort her, causing her to run screaming.

“What the hell is going on?!” Fern called out, as she rounded the corner to investigate the noise. She was nearly toppled over, as a treasure chest on legs rushed to hide behind her.

“Dragon pox!” huffed the panicked mini-dryad.

There was buzzing laughter from the other end of the hallway, as Juniper took in the looks on both Dorea's and Venus' faces. She dropped the towels she was holding in both sets of hands, and held her sides. “I know I shouldn't laugh,” she said between fits of laughter. “Your sisters are moulting, and the first thing you think is plague?”

“It's not funny,” commented Violet. "They haven't experienced it before." She turned to face Dorea. “This is the only sucky part of being a dragon. Every time we hit a growth spurt, we moult. Venus wasn't here for my previous ones, because she was born on the expedition Mum and Regulus went on.”

“And you're sure it's definitely not dragon pox?” The treasure chest opened, a set of suspicious eyes peeking out.

Shizu chose this moment to join the group. “I've got the main bathroom ready. Jun, bring those towels. Venus, you can help too, seeing as both girls are moulting at the same time. I've messaged Mizuchi. She'll get back to us after your uncle's trial.”

The group of six walked to the mansion's oversized Japanese-style bathroom. There were two pool chairs under the showers, and there was steam coming from the tub. A television had been strategically placed in the corner. Juniper wet the towels, and placed some on each of the chairs.

“What are the wet towels for?” Dorea asked.

“They soften up our scales, and make it easier to remove the old layer,” Violet explained.

The two dragons laid down on the chairs, and prepared for a process that was going to take the better part of two hours.

===//===

Fudge looked down at the accused's chair. As much as he disliked Dumbledore, his presence in the Chief Mugwump's chair gave him confidence that Black would be back in Azkaban before the day was out. His plans with Lucius might have diverged 'slightly' since his death, but he was still receiving a steady income stream from other sources.

“Bring in the accused,” ordered Dumbledore.

Sirius Black entered, striding tall and proud. He was flanked by a tall blonde woman in black, and a tall redhead in royal blue.

“Who are these two women?” asked one of the wizards on his right.

“My esteemed witches and wizards,” replied Sirius Black. “The woman on my left is Yuri Karitoriki. The woman on my right is my Advocate, Mizuchi Kobayashi.”

“We can understand why your Advocate is accompanying you,” Dumbledore condescendingly spoke. “However, I cannot understand why Miss carry-tow-ricky is here.”

“Moral support,” replied the blonde, as she placed her hand on Sirius' shoulder in such a way that they could see the ring on her finger. Numerous people in the room gasped.

_He's engaged already?_ Fudge was both surprised and impressed. _He moves fast!_

“Very well,” Dumbledore reluctantly conceded. “Sirius Orion Black, you are accused of betraying the location of James and Lily Potter, resulting in their murder by the Dark Wizard known as Voldemort. You are further accused of the murder of Peter Pettigrew and twelve muggles. How do you plead?”

Sirius proudly raised his head. “Not guilty on all counts!”

There was uproar throughout the gallery.

“I was not the Potters' secret Keeper,” Sirius stated. “Pettigrew was.”

“Lies!”  
“You were James' best friend!”  
“Burn in hell, Black!”  
And various other comments came from the gallery.

The noise of a cannon blast silenced the crowd. “Silence!” shouted Dumbledore, as he lowered his wand. “Do you have proof of your statement? With the Potters dead, there is no way to confirm this.”

A predatory grin appeared on the redhead's face, and Fudge realised Dumbledore tripped the proverbial tomb curse. “James Potter's Will would have cleared that up straight away.”

Dumbledore gave the gallery his 'grandfatherly twinkle'. “Unfortunately, the copy they submitted to the Ministry has been sealed, and the one in their Gringotts Vault is inaccessible until young Harry reaches his majority.”

“Then its a good thing there was another copy,” Karitoriki winked at Sirius, as she drew an envelope from a hidden pocket on her bodice.

**Hem-hem** “How, pray tell do you have a copy of the Potters' Wills?” Dolores Umbridge's condescendingly-chirpy voice spoke from Fudge's side.

“Oh, I'm related to the Potters,” Karitoriki nonchalantly replied. “Distantly, but still related.”

“No,” Umbridge sneered. “You look barely of age. How could a mere child have been entrusted with something so important?”

Fudge saw the offended looks on both Karitoriki's and Kobayashi's faces, and could have sworn he heard a muttered “more pink than anyone older than six has a right to wear” come from both of them simultaneously. Karitoriki looked up at Umbridge. “As a member of House Peverell, I take offence at being considered untrustworthy.” She looked back up at Dumbledore. “As I was saying, I have a copy of the Will here. A simple reading in front of these good people could clear up a number of misconceptions. Or would you rather we read it in private?”

_I can still salvage this,_ Dumbledore thought. _No one knows 'Harry' is really Violet._ “I believe we should take your word about the Secret Keeper. Nevertheless, there is still the matter of Pettigrew's murder, ant those of the twelve muggles.”

“Pettigrew faked his death, and killed those muggles to cover it up,” Sirius stated. “Pettigrew is an unregistered animagus. He used his rat form to escape into the sewers. I can take Veritaserum, if you still doubt my word.”

“That will be unnecessary,” declared Dumbledore. “I declare all charges against Sirius Orion Black be dropped, and that he be compensated for his wrongful imprisonment from the accounts of those who placed him in Azkaban without due process. The Ministry will pay for your rehabilitation. Exposure to Dementors can have unforeseen side effects, and I wouldn't want someone mentally unstable near young Harry.”

_Why is he looking pointedly at Kobayashi?_ Fudge thought.

“It would have to be reimbursement,” Kobayashi stated. “The Interspecies Cultural Exchange Program has been assisting in Mr Black's recovery.”

**Hem-hem** “Why would an organisation meant to help _half-breeds_ 'blend in' with muggles be involved with the Noble and Ancient House of Black?”

“Because my little brother's wife is the Deputy Director of the organisation,” replied Sirius.

“Enough!” Dumbledore shouted at the uproar in the gallery. “Getting back on track. Peter Pettigrew is now wanted for all of the crimes Sirius Orion Black was formerly accused of. He is additionally wanted for being an unregistered animagus, and for framing the Heir of the Noble and Ancient House of Black. This session is dismissed.”

_What is in that Will Dumbledore doesn't want people to find out about?_ Fudge wondered, as everyone filed out of the room.

_Blast, blast blast!_ Dumbledore thought. _Who is this 'Karitoriki' woman? She is obviously friends with that damned dragon, and now it seems she has her talons firmly in the Black family._

The only bright point he could see to the situation was Sirius being a possible way to get closer to Violet Potter, even if only indirectly. He just hoped Sirius was still a loyal member of the Order.

===//===

Nymphadora looked at the booklets displayed in the Educational Materials racks of the London ICEP office.

“Most of these are about habits, habitats, and cultures of the different peoples that make up this world,” Andromeda explained. “Mizuchi and the others set this up like you see, so that the magical and non-magical populations of London can learn what they are willing to learn about.” She placed her daughter's hand on the side of a cabinet next to the racks.

What originally looked like a cabinet full of spare documents for the racks turned out to have a secret compartment.

“Wow!” Nymphadora exclaimed. “I can still do my OWLs, and don't have to leave my muggle friends behind.” She looked in wonder at the assorted subjects and book lists available to her.

“You'll also be making some new friends,” commented Andromeda. “Depending on which subject modules you choose to do, the practical classes will mostly be attended by people close to your own age.”

===//===

Draco placed the turning template beside the model battleship, and repositioned it, so it was broadside of Sally's squadron of model frigates. They were right about chess being too simple, he thought, as he picked up a handful of dice. “I know you're going for the aircraft carrier,” he told his friend. “Without fighter coverage, those bombers you have in reserve will have the run of the table.”

“You say it like someone who's finally worked out the advantages of air support in battle,” Sally smirked, while glancing at the face-down 'fog of war' cards, near her hand. “Declare your targets, and prepare for the inevitable.”

“You've been teaching me well,” Draco replied. “However....” he flipped over a 'fog of war' card, revealing the 'sea mines' title to his opponent. “Leo taught me that tactical intelligence is also important. I declare the minefield is to my starboard.” He rolled the required dice mentioned on the card.

“Shit!” Sally swore, as she replaced her 'submerged object' counter with a submarine model, and placed the relevant damage markers beside it.

“And, now I declare my targets,” Draco grinned. “Or more specifically, target. Leo mentioned you favour making U-boats your flagships, for both the extra upgrades.”

===//===

_A gap in the webs!_ He scurried past the web that had the still sparking body of the snake, that moments ago was about to eat him. _I can finally escape this death trap!_


	30. Chapter 30

Outside Interference

chapter 29

**Dartmoor Prison**

Theta Epsilon adjusted his trilby and got into his prepared position, as he sensed the timelord approaching the door. “Ah, Doctor! The Master has been stuck here long enough. We've taken him back to Gallif-”

Standing in the doorway was a six-foot-tall, red-haired, humanoid female, with an unamused expression on her face. He looked up, and felt a shiver of fear, as her reptilian eyes narrowed behind the yellow-tinted lenses of her glasses.

_Why am I sensing a timelord nearby?_

“If you're looking for the Doctor, he's off with his girlfriend, seeing the wonders of the universe,” she commented. “He's taking a human with him too,” she added, almost as an afterthought.

“His what?” Theta Epsilon's eyes narrowed, as he took in their beige and black Terran-style tactical armour that was at least sixty years ahead of its time. “Once I recover the Master's TT-unit, I'll be sending someone to arrest you and your little friend for illegal time travel.”

“I thought you lot knew the Doctor was properly bonded to his TARDIS,” stated Mizuchi. “Also, the Master doesn't have a TARDIS.”

He pulled a device out of his vest that looked similar to a pocket watch. “Nonsense. Of course he has a TT-unit,” he condescendingly replied. “It's in ...Ottery St Catchpole...” He clicked the button. A look of confusion washed over his face, as he tried several times.

The last thing he heard, as panic took hold was “Mizuchi, I thought you said your ancestors were intelligent.” The last thing he saw were the glowing runes orbiting the redhead's right hand.

The runes were Ancient High Gallifreyian.

===//===

**Avalon Gardens**

Narcissa followed the muggle with the shovel past the gate marked 'employees only past this point' and stared in amazement. Over to one side of the hidden clearing she could see Mizuchi's and Fern's maid/consort sitting cross-legged, with her eyes closed. There were around a dozen bowtruckles climbing all over her.

“Miss Pleaides,” he called out. “Miss Black is here to pick up her son.”

The maid opened one eye, and pointed to a pathway. “He's at the Flitterball practice pitch.”

The gardener blinked a few times in surprise. “They're letting him watch? I thought only Yuki and Llif-Gadwyn were the only two that didn't mind outsiders watching them train.”

“Apparently Draco's special,” replied the maid. Narcissa followed the path indicated, and heard the sounds of children cheering.

As she rounded the corner, she saw Draco watching the two teams of tiny flying humanoids swarming around the miniature quidditch pitch. She recognised the 'red team' as Fern's swarm of elemental fire hornet pixies. However, the 'pink team' were unfamiliar to... “Merlin's beard!” she exclaimed. _“Are those flower fairies!?”_

Several small and tiny heads turned to face her. “Good afternoon, mother,” greeted Draco, as he stroked the hair of a pink-haired fairy sitting on his shoulder. “Is it that time of day already?”

“I see you've made yourself a friend, my little Dragon,” Narcissa commented, causing her son to blush.

“{You'll have to tell her.}” tinkled the fairy.

“{I know that.}” he replied, causing Narcissa to raise an eyebrow. “Mother, this is Snapdragon. She's my Familiar.”

“Draco,” Narcissa used her 'talking to children' voice. “She can't be your Familiar. You're too young to form that sort of bond.”

“No he's not,” Juniper commented. “Dorea also has a Familiar.”

“I think you're mistaken about Violet's and Dorea's relationship,” Narcissa replied, then turned to face Violet's laughter.

“She only sees me as a big sister,” commented Violet, from behind Juniper, as she pointed to a nearby tree.

Narcissa looked where she indicated, to see what she recognised as a rare 'snowy owl' raptor harpy sitting on one of the lower branches. It took her a few moments to notice red hair and a second set of feathery wings. They both appeared to be napping.

“...oh...” commented Narcissa. “One more thing the Ministry got wrong.”

“Hedwig is actually Dorea's second familiar,” Violet commented. “Back when she was still under the 'Harry' glamour, she Bonded with a garden snake. Vernon killed it, so she's a bit clingy with her new Familiar at the moment.”

Narcissa gasped. Killing someone's Familiar was almost as bad as casting an Unforgivable.

A few moments later, the maid entered the clearing. She still had the bowtruckles on her. She glanced at the tree. “Kawaii!” she gushed. “I should have remembered a camera.” Her voice took on a more serious tone. “Violet, you should have let one of us know if she's still having trouble sleeping.”

“We're handling it amongst us kids at the moment, Shizu,” Violet replied. “Dorea still has trust issues with adults.”

===//===

**Location Unknown**

Theta Epsilon woke in what he recognised as an infirmary bed, but was confused at the infirmary being the wrong layout. _Why is that doorway so large?_

“You're awake,” commented a voice to his right. He turned to see a being that looked like a fusion of humanoid and arachnid. A rapid clicking noise nearby turned out to be the footsteps of an identical creature. It passed a can of something up to the humanoid. “Thanks Kuroko,” it said to the other creature.

Another set of clicking heralded the arrival of an adult-sized version of the creatures. There was no mistaking this one from being anything other than female. “My eyes are up here. I have six. Pick a set.” Theta Epsilon looked up. Six red eyes were narrowed, and looking at him. “You are so lucky my sister-in-law only fried your equipment.” She leaned down to bring her face closer to him. “Care to explain why you broke a criminal out of prison, without going through proper channels, and then declared your intention to kidnap my wife?”

“I don't have to answer to a primitive creature like you,” he growled. “I only answer to the Head of the Celestial Intervention Agency.”

The creature, Kuroko, rotated on her many legs and faced Theta Epsilon. She tilted her head, revealing multiple green eyes behind her red hair, and spoke in a child's voice. The seven words she spoke chilled him to the bone.

“I cannot believe we're descended from them.”

The larger one picked the smaller one up, and kissed her forehead. “Comparing him to your Daddy is like comparing a monkey to a human. They both have common ancestors, but evolved in different environments.”

The child that was in the hammock jumped across the room, landing on the arachnid part of the adult. “Okaasan, did they really send someone without teaching him to read transponder codes?”

“Yes, Charlotte. They did,” replied the adult.

Her name can't really be a dialect word for mother, he thought. This facility must contain a family group. 

_++ “Ventris, we're about to enter Gallifreyian-controlled space. I need either you or Hiroshi on the bridge.” ++_ echoed a female voice throughout the facilit- ...ship... They were on a ship.

(...correction **Location: Deep Space, Somewhere Near Gallifrey** ...)

“I'll be up there in a moment,” called Ventris. “The idiot is awake, so I'll bring him with me.” Her voice softened. “You two need to go join your siblings in the passenger compartment.”

The two children scuttled off.

“As for you,” Ventris addressed Theta Epsilon. “You have an appointment on the bridge.” He reluctantly allowed himself to be escorted out of the infirmary.

Something was weird.

He looked over the guardrail of the gantry they were walking along, and saw the typical open hold, loading equipment, and other accoutrements of a small cargo vessel. Another female, this one looking like a fusion of humanoid and serpent, shooed a group of children of varying species up a stairwell, presumably towards the previously mentioned passenger compartment.

“There are an awfully large number of children aboard, for a commercial vessel,” Theta Epsilon commented.

“The kids are with us, because you pushed our schedule ahead,” said Ventris. “The four eldest reach eight Gallifreyian standard years old in a couple of months.”

“The Untempered Schism!” Theta Epsilon exclaimed, as realisation hit. “You have Timelord children aboard!” He suddenly became confused. “That cannot be right. The Pythia's curse means there haven't been Timelord children for centuries.”

“And just when I thought there was a spark of intelligence, it flickers and dies,” Ventris mutters. She opens the hatch to the bridge, and bursts out laughing. “Hiroshi-kun, you are such an otaku!”

There was a red-haired humanoid male adult sitting in one of the pilots' seats. He was dressed in what Theta Epsilon recognised as a late 19th Century Texan law-enforcer's uniform. The only out of place components were the wrist computer on his left forearm, a swordbreaker attached to his right leg, and an assault rifle (with what he recognised as a miniaturised matter replicator where the magazine should be) propped up on the console.

_++ “Unidentified spacecraft,” ++_ a male voice crackled over the ship's comm-system _++ “You are not authorised to enter this system. Reverse your heading, or be fired upon.” ++_

The blonde female in the other pilot's seat rolled her blue eyes, and flipped a few switches. “Gallifrey system command, this is the United Nations Self Defence Force vessel Cassiopeia. We have business with your High Council.”

There were several minutes of silence.

“They're probably trying to figure us out,” Hiroshi commented, as he slid on a pair of Aviator's sunglasses.

_++ “Terran vessel. Hold position. A sub-light escort vessel will be despatched to your location. It should arrive at your coordinates in around four days.” ++_

“Arrogant bastards,” laughed Ventris. “Cass, ready for another jump?”

The one known as Cass gave a small chuckle. “Whenever you are, my love.”

Ventris switched on the ship's PA, whist deliberately leaving the channel to Gallifrey open. “Crew and passengers, this is your chief engineer. Please fasten your seatbelts for landing. ETA ten minutes.” She caressed the blonde's cheek, then kissed her full on the lips. The blonde's eyes started to glow.

“Command codes activated,” smirked Hiroshi. “Time Rotors switched from 'standby' to 'active'.” He pointed towards the front of the bridge. “Theta Epsilon, pick a seat, and strap in.”

_++ “Time Rotors?” ++_ came a panicked voice over the comm-system.  
 _Time Rotors?_ Theta Epsilon thought. _This is a TT unit?_

Then he felt a familiar surge of power, followed by the tingle he usually felt when travelling through the Vortex. “Wait! 'Time Rotors' **plural** !?” he exclaimed, as he looked back to the only other person not currently exchanging saliva.

“My wife is a genius,” Hiroshi replied nonchalantly.

===//===

**Ten minutes later (relatively)**

Sirens blared throughout the Panopticon. People were panicking, and running for the safety of their quarters. An alien spacecraft had materialised right in the middle of the Rasillon Memorial square.

A few curious faces peeked out of their windows, anticipating the arrival of the Chancellor's Guard.

They were mildly disappointed, when three humanoids and a creature with mixed humanoid and arachnid features casually walked down the spacecraft's boarding ramp.

===//===

Out near the periphery, an engineer went over the sensor logs, and went pale. She turned to her supervisor. “It's a TT-unit. Obviously heavily modified, but it's still a TT-unit.”

“Do you have a base make or model? Do you at least have a Transponder code?”

A nearby comm-screen came to life. Two children appeared onscreen. They were both blonde, with blue eyes, although one had two, and the other six.

“Damn Cass, their security sucks,” said the two-eyed one. “You hacked that in less than three minutes.”

“Definitely Leo,” said the six-eyed one. “Mum did just crash the Panopticon Grid, but an eight-year-old definitely shouldn't be able to hack the Shipyard grid at all. Don't they isolate their networks against cyber warfare?”

The comm-screen camera rotated, towards the screen with the logs. “That looks interesting,” said Leo.

****VWORP****

The engineers jumped back, as a blonde humanoid child of indeterminate gender materialised in the middle of the room.

*****VWORP*****

Mere moments later, the other blonde appeared. She was a smaller version of the arachnid creature shown exiting the weird TT-unit.

“Omega's hand! What the hell species is that?!” shrieked the supervisor, before he fainted.

“Wuss,” said Cassandra. She moved towards the screens, and turned towards the engineer. “Sigma Delta, right? You won't be able to classify Mum like that. Okaasan practically rebuilt her from scratch, and for the record, my primary race is Arachne.”

“Are you saying your mother, the ...Arachne... was able to reverse engineer advanced timelord technology?”

“Yes, said Leo, as they walked to another part of the office, and typed a few console commands. “Oh wow, your security really does suck. I've just found the TARDIS registry. I wonder if I can find Aunt Shizu on here?”


	31. Chapter 31

Outside Interference

chapter 30

**Gallifrey, TT-capsule Maintenance Hangar 1**

Sigma Delta was curious. Well, more curious than the others. For the last week, the newcomers had been the subject of many conversations. Right now, three of the children; the blonde Arachne, Cassandra, and the two humanoids, Azrael and Leo, were exploring the TT-capsule hangar bay. The adult humanoid female, Galadriel was with her, helping to keep an eye on them.

The two red-haired Arachne and the Lamia were with their parents, in the Old-Quarter of Arcadia City. Children. Parents. Both were terms both alien and familiar to many Gallifreyians.

“Don't think about it too much,” said Galadriel. “You've been using Gene-looms exclusively centuries.”

There was a chuckle from Cassandra as she lowered herself from an upper gantry gantry. “The look on that woman's face, as that man couldn't take his eyes off Okaasan's chest was priceless.”

“Well, her height does put your ...mother?... your mother's chest right at eye-level for the average humanoid male,” replied Sigma Delta, with a slight blush to her face. “To be honest, those of us who have never been off-world have no idea what these are even for.” She indicated to her own chest.

“That's only because you come out of your 'looms fully-grown, and anything to do with having children 'the old-fashioned way' is deemed as unnecessary information for your direct memory implantation,” said Azrael, from the gantry. “Cass, Leo, what's the floor like?”

“All clear, baby brother,” said Leo. Sigma Delta forgot that the boy clambering over everything with his siblings was blind.

Azrael dropped down Cassandra's web, stumbling slightly on his landing. Bright green runes orbited his hand, and his staff materialised in it.

“It still amazes me how do you do that,” said Sigma Delta. Her expression briefly soured. “It's also frustrating. There was a whole branch of knowledge denied to us when the Pythia gained her stranglehold on Gallifrey's spiritual development, and then that branch was completely removed when she cursed our ancestors.”

“At least you still keep some of your traditions, even if you've forgotten their original purpose,” Cassandra commented. “My sisters get to go to the Untempered Schism in a few hours.”

“I wondered about that,” said an engineer, who had just finished adjusting something on a nearby TT-capsule.

_It was strange,_ Sigma Delta thought. _The TT-capsules always seemed to be 'happier' when Cassandra and Leo were nearby._

“Why were you three excluded from going?” asked the engineer.

“Leo and myself are too young,” said Azrael. “We're not eight Gallifreyian years old yet. Also, being blind, I'm not even sure if the Untempered Schism will have an effect on me.”

“And Cassandra?” asked Sigma Delta, turning towards Galadriel. “It's obvious she's old enough to join the others. Why isn't she with them?”

The noise of manoeuvring thrusters drowned out the Arachne's answer. Not long after, the other three adult females from the group walked in. “Racist bastards,” grumbled Cassiopeia. “As soon as we landed 'only timelords may set foot on this sacred ground.'”

There was a weird flicker from a nearby TT-capsule.

“Shut up, you old hag,” Cassiopeia commented, looking towards the TT-capsule. “I can disrespect whoever I choose.”

“Anyone?” Ventris asked, in a teasing voice.

Cassiopeia blushed, and squirmed slightly at the adult Arachne's look.

Galadriel and Renata tried to suppress their laughter.

“Do you two need to go back to one of the cabins,” Renata wiggled her eyebrows.

Cassiopeia and Ventris suddenly weren't there.

“Why are parents so embarrassing?” Cassandra facepalmed. She looked towards another TT-capsule. “Of course they share a bed. How do you think I came about?”

An offended look came across Leo's face. “Bitch!” 

“Oh shit,” whispered Azrael.

Galadriel and Renata surged towards the two small blondes, with the Lamia just managing to catch Cassandra mere millimetres before her claws reached one of the TT-capsules. Galadrriel, on the other hand, wasn't quite quick enough. Leo's fist hit with enough force to dent their target's outer casing.

The adults all gasped in surprise, when a blue glow surrounded the TT-capsule, and it turned into a frightened girl, of a similar age to Leo and Azrael.

“No one says things like that about my Mum!” shouted Leo, as they were being restrained. Her voice dropped to an embarrassed whisper. “Mama, Amma, I think I broke my hand.”

“I'll take her to medical,” commented a resigned Renata.

“What was all that about?” Sigma Delta asked the adult elf, as Leo was led back to where the off-worlders had apparently parked their ship.

_'...(mumble) (mumble)...”_ said Cassandra, as she looked at the floor, refusing to look anyone in the eye.

Before they could coax the blonde arachne to speak a bit louder, their attention was drawn to Azrael, as he draped his shirt over the cowering now-girl. “I know my siblings overreacted, but you really shouldn't have said that about their mutual parent. I know the ultimate goal of a TARDIS is to form a Bond with a timelord or timelady, but you're going to have to accept that, even though Dad is a timelord, Okaasan is who restored Mum, and it is she who Mum formed her Bond with.” He carefully lifted her up, and turned his head in the general direction of the adults. “I sensed something similar to Dad's decryption magic when Leo punched the TARDIS. Whatever he did to this girl's chameleon circuit cannot be undone. ...uh ...also,” his faced blushed red, “I think I've Bonded with her.”

===//===

**The Untempered Schism**

The group watched as the ship left the landing pad, and headed in the general direction of the hangars. As well as Kuroko, Charlotte, and Sally, who were accompanied by their father, there were a dozen or so 'young' timelords and timeladies being escorted by a priest.

“Performing this ceremony with off-worlders is strictly forbidden,” commented a timelord in an elaborate set of robes, as he walked up the path.

“I am sorry High Priest,” replied the priest. “Our doctors have examined the children, and they _are_ timeladies.”

“Very well,” reluctantly commented the High Priest. He addressed the group as a whole. “It has been eight years since you were 'loomed or,” he glanced at the children, “...born. We will lead you momentarily to witness the Untempered Schism. Some of you will become inspired by the sight. Some of you will run away,” he looked back to the children again. “Unfortunately the view might drive a small percentage of you insane.”

“I was one of the ones that ran away,” whispered Hiroshi. “Hopefully, none of you three get the same result as your Aunt Mizuchi, when she and I did this as kids.”

The High Priest looked at the redhead with pity. “It is distressing witnessing one of your House go insane. Is that why you ran?”

Hiroshi burst out laughing. “I'm older, so I went first. I think my running away pissed her off,” Hiroshi's expression grew serious. “When Mizuchi looked into the Untempered Schism, the Vortex ...flinched.”

A thoughtful look appeared on Sally's face. “That's why she knows those spells, isn't it? Violet said Aunt Mizuchi could use Space-bridge class Gate spells since she was ten.”

“Probably,” agreed Hiroshi. “Although, it did take some coaching from Aunt Lucoa for her to learn to control all of that power.” He sighed. “However, if my sister hadn't gained all of that power, she never would have met your mother.”

“Space bridge? Gate?” asked the High Priest.

“Basically, she can link two points of space-time, using magic. I'm crap at it, and can only do basic Gate spells. The term 'Space-bridge' is pretty self-explanatory.”

===//===

**Surrey**

“Students, it has come to my attention that some of you have been trying to break the school dress code, by using 'cultural differences' and other flimsy excuses. I cannot do anything about the other class, but I can do something about this class. As of tomorrow, I will start handing out detentions.”

A boy raised his hand. “Excuse me Mr Brown, but why are you singling out Hareesh? His religion forbids him from cutting his hair, and I don't understand why you think he's faking it.”

Mr Brown turned towards him. “I fully understand that some Indian cultures have those requirements,” Brown looked down at the seating plan on the table, “Mr Walsh. I'm referring to Miss O'Reilly and Miss Peverell.”

The two dragons looked at each other. Violet raised her hand. “You do know this is an ICEP-approved school, yes?”

“Of course it is. The United Nations made Exchange Program schools, so people from other countries can experience new ways of doing things. Dying your hair two different colours is not part of a cultural practice.”

“Wyth mlynedd, ac mae yna bobl anybodus mewn awdurdod o hyd,” Violet muttered.

“I can speak Welsh, young lady,” Brown chided. “You have detention at lunch today for disrespecting a teacher.” _Dumbledore didn't mention The-girl-who-lived spoke Welsh. Girl-who-lived. I still find it amazing a mere Mudblood knew enough to glamour her child as a boy. The glamour-work on her at the moment is also pretty convincing. You could almost believe she's a half-dragon. Still, Lord Nott's bounty for the kid will set me up for life._

Violet raised an eyebrow. “Mae hud trin cof yn anghyfrethlon,” Violet commented. “Hefyd, a ydych chi'n barod am ganlyniadu dwn llanc draig?”

“He's a wizard, isn't he?” whispered the girl on Violet's left. “You and Jun do that whenever you don't want the church kids finding out.”

“...psst... Dorea,” whispered Hareesh, on Dorea's right. “What's a 'mud blood'?”

Dorea glanced to the boy. Hareesh's eyes suddenly widened, as two sets of pink runic circles appeared in the air just in front of the teacher.

Chaos. Panic.

“Dorea! Get the others out of here!” Violet shouted, as the distinctive colours of stunning and immobilisation spells were absorbed by Violet's mana-shields. //Juniper! Rogue Mage!//

The school's fire alarms suddenly started ringing throughout the school, and Juniper's voice came over the PA system.

**_:: “Attention, attention! This is a case five evacuation drill. I repeat, this is a case five evacuation drill.” ::_ **

===//===

In his office, the new Principal frowned slightly at the sound of the fire alarms. He then paled at the PA announcement.

He had been assigned to the school by the Ministry of Magic, as a way to keep an eye on The-girl-who-lived. His briefing had Violet as the 'secret identity' of the Potter girl, but he suspected that information was deliberately incorrect. Violet was too confident, too protective, for someone who had been rescued from abusive relatives.

Not counting the naturally-timid dryad and aralune who were too young anyway, there was only one demi-human in the school whose body language gave away she was nervous around adults, especially male ones. Merlin, the girl accidentally put her last teacher in the hospital two days ago. Poor Mr Rogers unthinkingly put his hand on her shoulder, and found out the hard way why you don't startle someone who instinctively generates lightning. The only reason he was alive for the ambulances, was Violet using Dryad healing magic.

He looked at the evacuation plans near the office PA console.

_Note to self,_ he thought. _Find out how Miss Dwyllphyrn can use the school's PA without access to a microphone._

He looked up what 'case five' meant, and immediately sent a Patronus to the DMLE. He then picked up the phone and dialled 999. A case five 'drill' wasn't actually a drill. Case five meant someone was here to kidnap a student.

Two guesses who.

===//===

Back in the classroom, Brown was realising how badly he had messed up.

He was currently backed up against a wall, on his tip-toes, with the blade of a halberd pricking the soft part at the top of his neck. Violet O'Reilly, contrary to rumours, was not the missing Potter child! Dumbledore had to have 'leaked' false information.

He couldn't Apparate out, due to some glowing device Juniper Dwllphyrn was holding in one of her four hands. She was pointing a pair of pistols at him.

Fellblade Gringott was to his right, wielding a double-headed battle axe. Dorea Peverell was to his left. The sword in her hand looked almost like the legendary Sword of Gryffindor.

He almost fainted in relief at the faint sounds of Apparition. His error, however did at least give him a credible lead to leverage Lord Nott getting him out of going to Azkaban. _The 'Hareesh' kid just had to be the disguised Harry Potter._ It was so obvious now. _No Mudblood could do such a complex spell._ He didn't realise until 'Hareesh' asked 'Peverell' what a Mudblood was. Peverell. That should have raised another flag to his mind. _She's even wearing the Merlin-damned Hallows symbol as a brooch._

“Afternoon officer,” Juniper greeted, as she holstered her pistols. The Aurors had walked into the classroom.

The other girls lowered their weapons, which then vanished, as they took Brown into custody. Brown's face dropped, as Auror Rockwood whispered in his ear. “Taken down by seven-year-old girls isn't going to look good to Lord Nott.”


	32. Chapter 32

Outside Interference

Chapter 31

After the 'incident' at the school, things settled down reasonably fast. The students not directly involved, and any non-magical adults, were given a plausible cover-story.

As for the magical side of things, Fern was sitting across from Amelia. There were several stacks of parchment on the desk. Amelia picked a page up from her desk, and gave a hidden hand-signal.

Someone was listening in.

“The kidnapper is swearing blind that he was 'rescuing' Violet from 'savage muggles and half-breeds'.” She scoffed, as she replaced the page. “Auror Rockwood wants you and Mizuchi arrested for teaching magic to under-aged witches.”

“Did you explain to them that they're dragons, not witches, and they're required to learn how to control their innate magic from the moment it manifests?” asked Fern. “He should be glad they only used shielding spells, and chose to use summoned weapons to subdue the perpetrator.”

“He grumbled about it a lot,” Amelia replied. She lowered her voice. “There is also a rumour going around that Dorea had the Sword of Gryffindor in her hands.”

“The only way that could be possible is if Dorea is descended from Godric Gryffindor,” replied Fern.

“Well... Salazar Slytherin fathered a child with a Lamia...” Amelia commented.

They both smirked at the sound of someone trying to quietly sneak away.

===//===

Fudge was just sitting down for lunch in the cafe near the Ministry’s entrance, when he spotted the head of the DMLE and a guest enter. He was about to invite them to sit with him, when he realised who Madam Bones' companion was. She was with the Dryad who Regulus Black fathered a child with.

He knew Dwllphyrn was a potentially beneficial political ally. She practically ran the organisation 'bringing civilisation to the near-human intelligence magical creatures' as he worded it to the Pure-blood wizard families he 'associated' with. Unfortunately, the fact she wasn't human would make it political suicide for him to (openly) associate with her.

He watched, as the pair ignored the mix of hostile glares and awed stares coming from the other patrons, and took their seats.

Dwllphyrn does look impressive in that beige and black uniform, he admitted to himself.

**hem, hem**

...and with that, Fudge's pleasant lunch was no longer so pleasant...

===//===

(Another time-skip)

Narcissa was looking at the scene in front of her with bemusement.

Renata, Galadriel and Ventris were trying their hardest not to laugh at what was happening to their husband.

Gemini Alpha had found Hiroshi's stash of 'old' (i.e. from the 21st Century) Avengers comics, and she and her sister spent the next half hour trying to convince their CO in authorising 'upgrades' to match Iron Man and War Machine.

**% “Even Rescue would be good.” %** Gemini Beta commented, **% “I'd love to have curves again.” %**

To think that her past-self would never imagine herself having a Lamia as a best friend, let alone watching a pair of cybermen attempting to 'flirt' with a technomancer, trying to convince him that something from a set of muggle children's stories was something they really wanted.

“They know they're children's stories, don't they?” Narcissa asked. “Then again,” she looked towards their spaceship, “you based her construction off a set of story books.” _My ideas of 'normal' have changed so much in the past few months._

A giant shadow passed overhead.

_Annnd thinking of normal,_ she thought. _When did I start thinking of a fifty-foot dragon flying overhead not being a threat as something normal?_

The frost dragon dropped something on the ground, and transformed itself back into the six-foot-tall woman Narcissa was used to seeing. She was splattered with bloodstains, and picked up the something her dragon-form had dropped. She then dragged it over to her brother with a proud look on her face.

“I've brought back dinner!” Mizuchi happily exclaimed.

“Why does this remind me of when my cat brought me a dead mouse?” Narcissa whispered to Renata.

“Probably because it's so damn similar,” she whispered back. “We haven't been going on hunts with her lately, so her mothering instincts are kicking in. Intellectually, she knows we can just buy food from the market, or order something from the fish and chip shop in Ottery St Catchpole, but her instincts still cause her to bring her 'weak squishy brother' food, to make up for his 'inability to catch prey'.”

“It's why we usually go on hunts with her on a regular basis,” Ventris quietly joined in. “If we didn't, she's be bringing us 'presents' too.”

“What is that, anyway?” Narcissa asked.

Ventris scuttled sideways to get a better look. “Ooh! A sharktopus! Those are good eating! Pinky!”

One of the mansion's house-elves appeared. “What can Pinky do for Mistress Ventris?”

“My sister-in-law has been hunting,” said Ventris

Pinky's eyes gleamed with excitement. Her master's sister going hunting meant that she and the other house-elves that worked in the kitchen were about to receive another exotic ingredient to challenge them with. It also meant...

“Is Miss Dorea coming for dinner, then?” she not-so-innocently asked. It was no big secret that a number of house-elves working in Sturmdrachen Manor were the surviving former-Potter family house-elves.

Galadriel crouched down, to look her in the eyes. Fae-elf to house-elf. “I'll talk to Hiroshi. I'm pretty certain Mizuchi has caught more than one of those. We just need to convince Cassiopeia's sister to bring it here to cook.”

“It's already in the kitchen,” said Shizu's quiet voice behind her. “The kids are all with Mr Lupin, near the lake. He's only just noticed the difference between Dorea's and Violet's spell arrays.”

“There's a difference?” Narcissa asked. “I could swear they're the exact same shade of pink.”

Renata chuckled. “They are. The runes are different. Violet's are Celtic, like Fern's are, and Dorea's are Nordic. She must have had a Rune-priest in her ancestry.”

“Speaking of kids,” Galadriel commented, while pointedly looking towards the dirt road that led towards the knoll. There was a young blonde girl, somewhere around Venus' age, staring with her mouth open.

===//===

Luna's was following the wrackspurts. Daddy was following up a lead for the Quibbler, Mummy was busy with a potion, and she wanted to explore.

She was finding all sorts of interesting things, from interesting rocks to pretty flowers. She even found a large black-tipped white feather. It was as long as her arm!

“Daddy will find this interesting.” She placed the feather in a safe spot near the bridge that crossed the stream, and skipped along the pathway that didn't lead to Ginny's place. She heard there was a centaur village nearby.

She followed the path for a few minutes, picking up 'treasures' as she skipped along. It wasn't long before she heard voices. The wrackspurts suddenly scattered, as a shadow passed overhead. She looked up.

“A dragon,” she whispered in awe.

It was carrying something in its claws. She followed its flight as best as she could. Daddy would be so proud, if she could show him a dragon's nest. It was so close to home too! She followed it for a while, but then lost sight of it near a knoll. She decided to keep walking along the path. Maybe she could catch sight of it again.

She pushed aside an overgrown bush, and saw a sight that caused her to drop all of her rocks. There was a spider-centaur! She didn't even know you could get centaurs that weren't the 'regular' kind. There was also a woman who was a snake from the waist down, a fae, a familiar-looking woman with two-toned hair, and a pretty woman in a black dress with a white apron.

They were all laughing at a red-haired man, who just had a strange sea-creature, just as big as he was, dropped in front of him by a pleased-looking red-haired woman. She had wings on her back the same colour as the dragon she followed.

Luna frowned a bit, as the wrackspurts tried to draw her attention to something, but she was distracted by the muggles walking up the driveway.

“Is that little Luna?” the vaguely-familiar woman asked, heading towards her. “What are you doing so far from home, sweetie?”

“I'm exploring,” Luna replied. “Did you know there's a dragon nearby? Shouldn't we be hiding everyone from the muggles?”

“There are four dragons nearby at the moment,” said the spider-centaur. “Three of them are only a little older than you.”

“Why would we need to hide?” asked the snake-woman. “They're only coming to pick their kids up from their classes.”

_Four?_ Luna thought. _Three of them are still babies? Daddy will be so happy to take pictures of a net for the Quibbler. ...wait... kids?_

Luna then heard the sounds of children coming from the path to her right. She turned to see. There were boys and girls of different ages heading towards them. There were also non-human children among the group. _This was confusing. Mummy and Daddy always said that muggles were dangerous, and would attack magical creatures on sight. This clearly wasn't happening._

Among the humans, she recognised Draco Malfoy. _Oh! The familiar-looking woman was the one her Daddy introduced to her as 'Aunt Cissa' a couple of years ago._

...and Ginny's twin brothers. They were holding hands with twin mini spider-centaurs. She and Ginny were only giggling about Fred and George having girlfriends yesterday. She still couldn't understand why Ginny's Mummy wasn't happy about it. They look so happy. Maybe it was because they hadn't started Hogwarts yet.

The redhead, still smelling of fish, skipped up to the group. “Seafood for dinner!” she grinned.

“I see Mum's a happy dragon today,” said a winged redhead girl, with pretty red feathers. She was arm-in-wing with a girl, that had wings instead of 'normal' arms. _A harpy,_ the wrackspurts supplied. Her feathers matched the one she found earlier.

“Is that”  
“little Luna?”  
“What are”  
“you doing”  
“so far”  
“from home?” Fred and George asked.

Luna looked over at the twins. They really did look cute holding hands with their girlfriends. “I was exploring,” she replied. “Did you know? The spider lady said there are four dragons nearby?”

“Did you”  
“hear that,”  
“Dorea-chan?”  
“There are”  
“dragons”  
“nearby.”  
Luna tried not to laugh. Fred's and George's girlfriends do the same 'bouncing speech' thing as they do.

The fish-smelling redhead crouched down to look at Luna. “Are you interested in dragons, Luna?”

“My Daddy owns the Quibbler,” Luna replied. “If I can find the dragons the spider lady said were near here, Daddy might stay here for a few weeks to study their nest.”

“Sorry, sweetie,” said the redhead. “The only dragons that live nearby are the dragonewts in the neighbouring village.”

“But I saw...”

“You saw me, sweetie,” said the woman. “I don't live in a nest.”

“Aunt Mizuchi's”  
“books would”  
“get wet”  
“if she”  
“lived in”  
“a nest.”

“I suppose that make sense,” conceded Luna. “I wouldn't like wet books either.” Her stomach grumbled.

A look of concern appeared on Mizuchi's face. “When did you last eat?”

“Breakfast,” Luna replied. “Just before I went exploring.”

The adults frowned, and gave each other odd looks. Mizuchi looked back at Luna. “Did you tell your Mummy or Daddy you were exploring?”

“Daddy is away. He had a lead on the Crumple-horned Snorkack. Mummy was working on a potion, and I didn't want to disturb her.”

“At least eight hours, by herself,” whispered the snake-woman.

“We'll get you something to eat,” Mizuchi told Luna. “Then one of us will take you home.”

===//===

“Sorry Luna, sweetie. Mummy lost track of time,” Pandora had just finished packing away her equipment, when she heard a knock at the door. _Who could that be? It's already dark._

_**CRACK!** _ Pandora jumped back in surprise, as a thin layer of frost formed on the door.

She cautiously opened the door, to find a tall red-haired woman with a dragon-scale cloak at the front gate. Luna was holding her hand, and had her usual 'daydream' expression, and was holding a very long white feather. There was a halberd in the woman's other hand. Tiny snowflakes were still coalescing around its blade. She looked down at the stairs that led up to the door, and tried not to scream. There was a cloaked and masked figure sprawled in an awkward position. His wand arm appeared to be covered in a thick layer of ice.

“Your wards need fixing,” the woman said, as if doing whatever it was she did to the masked wizard was nothing more than a minor hex. “At the very least they should be alerting you if someone is entering your property.” She then looked pointedly towards Luna. “Or leaving it.” She then looked back towards the masked wizard. Pandora could swear one of the woman's eyes changed colour.

Luna let go of the woman's hand and ran up to he Mummy. “Look! I found a harpy feather! I met her on the other side of the woods!”

“You met a harpy?” Pandora asked her daughter. _That feather is rather large._

“Fucking son of a [translation unavailable]” swore the woman.

Luna and Pandora gasped at the language. “Mrs Kobayashi! You shouldn't say the f-word,” Luna chastised the redhead.

“In this case, it's warranted,” Kobayashi raised her head. Pandora saw her eyes change back to matching colours again. “This kusatta kappa kuso was going to use the puppet-master spell to make you have a potions 'accident' and then his employer was going take in poor 'orphaned' Luna.”

“Puppet master?” Pandora asked, confused.

“Different spell names. I keep forgetting,” Kobayashi replied. “You call it Imperius.”

“Xeno!” Pandora gasped. “They're going after Xeno!”

A chime sounded from the ornate bracelet on Kobayashi's wrist, and a series of glowing runes appeared a few inches above her arm. “Luna mentioned her father worked as a wildlife photographer. The ICEP office near Dublin just sent me a report. It seems some of this guy's friends were stupid enough to try and attack your husband while he was near a harpy village.” As she wiggled her fingers, the runes seemed to move. “All the noise they made caught the village's attention.”

“Thank Merlin, he's okay,” Pandora whispered in relief. She then saw three Aurors apparate near her front gate.

Kobayashi gave the masked wizard a bit of a kick, causing him to groan. “Dammit, still alive. If you guys can figure out who he works for, charge them with either attempted bride-theft, or attempted line-theft.”

One of the Aurors placed a hand on Kobayashi's shoulder. “Mizuchi Kobayashi, you're under arrest for using unauthorised Legillimancy on a wizard.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “I'm sorry. If you were in uniform, I could have gotten around this.”


	33. Chapter 33

Outside Interference

Chapter 32

**Somewhere near Ottery St Catchpole**

Padfoot and Moony ran through the woods. It seemed like forever to Moony that he got to run with his Pack, as this was the first full moon after Sirius was released from rehabilitation, since being removed from Azkaban.

Moony was revelling in the wind blowing fresh scents in his face. He could smell all sorts of prey animals, the smoke from a distant campfire, and something ...familiar.

Padfoot kept trying to herd him away from the scent, so tried to give him the slip. He managed to evade Padfoot, and put on a burst of speed.

**yelp!** Moony was startled by a flash of white, followed quickly by a pained squeal. White-feathered death completed its swoop, with something in its taloned feet. _~Owl-harpy~_ supplied the buried part of his mind that was still Remus.

The brief pause allowed Padfoot the chance to catch up to him, but the familiar scent was naggingly close. He needed to investigate it.

He could hear voices! His werewolf instincts started to kick in. voices meant humans. Humans meant prey!

===//===

Padfoot panicked. Moony had surged off again, this time intent on hunting down the source of the voices. _This isn't good,_ thought Padfoot. _If Hedwig is nearby, that means the others are out too._ The sight of a giant spider-web in his peripheral vision confirmed that the three arachne children were somewhere out there. It wasn't a school night, so Reg's kids were probably on the hunt as well. He sniffed the air. _Shit! Dorea!_ He was one of the few that knew about Lily's glamour. _Remus doesn't know!_ Which means Moony doesn't know.

He put on a burst of extra speed, hoping that Moony didn't do something stupid in front of Dorea's overprotective stepsister.

===//===

Moony shook in fear. He was entangled in sticky threads, looking down at two sets of six red eyes and a set of six blue eyes. ~Cassandra, Charlotte, and Kuroko~ supplied the part of his mind that was still Remus.

“A werewolf,” stated blue-eyes.

“A foolish”  
“werewolf,” echoed both red-eyes.

Cassandra, moved backwards slightly, and started to climb the trunk of a nearby tree, her eight legs making easy work of the vertical surface of the trunk. The part of his mind that was Remus railed ineffectually at Moony, as he vainly struggled to escape their web. _~they may be children, but they're dangerous. They will drop you in a heartbeat, if they decide you're a threat to their Pack.~_

The snap of a twig caused Moony to instinctively turn his head. Padfoot was timidly walking into his field of view, flanked by the Owl-harpy, a lamia and two small dragons, barely larger than Padfoot. One dragon was green, and appeared to have leafy vines growing over it. Instead of scales, the other was covered in pink-tipped red feathers, and had feathered wings.

The familiar scent that kept screaming 'Pack' to Moony's instincts kept coming from the feathered dragon.

Glowing pink runes surrounded both dragons, transforming them into winged girls, roughly eight or nine years old. _~Dorea and Violet~_

“Uncle Sirius,” said the feathered one, Dorea. The one who smelt like pack. “Bringing Uncle Moony to this part of the forest is dangerous.”

Moony's, still-encased, body was lowered to the ground. “You're lucky you only tripped one of my webs,” said Cassandra. “The twins use enchantments on theirs.”

Padfoot changed back into Sirius, and looked chastised.

“We'll have to leave Mr Lupin restrained until he changes back,” said Violet.

“Did you find”  
“anything”  
“before”  
"the puppies”  
“crashed the party?” echoed Charlotte and Kuroko.

“Rabbits,” chorused Hedwig and Sally, raising their hands/wings, to present their prey.

Dorea's face lit up in a bright grin. “A couple of boars.”

“Apport!” called Violet, and two recently-slain boars appeared inside a pink runic circle of light.

Moony spent the next hour, even though he was restrained, gnawing on a boar's leg, and trying to figure out the pack dynamic of all of these not-quite-adults/not-quite-cubs.

===//===

When the sun came up, and he reverted back to human, Remus wearily looked up at a circle of his students' faces looking down at him. “S-sirius?” he muttered. “Why am I covered in spider-web? ...and blood?” A vague memory surfaced from the previous night. “Also, why does Moony insist that Dorea is Pack?”

Sirius looked appropriately chastised, when he replied. “No one was supposed to know about the glamour Lily placed on Dorea.”

“But this?” he indicated towards the sleeping girls. Dorea was clinging to Hedwig, as if she was a stuffed toy. “That is NOT a glamour!”

“No, it's not,” replied Violet, as she extracted herself from Sally. “She achieved a natural Animagus transformation after our doctors and healers removed a bunch of Blocks, Bindings, and other things from her. She rarely changes back to human, and I don't blame her, considering how she was treated before my sister and I got Mum to rescue her.”

“But an Animagus form cannot be a magical creature,” Remus commented.

“Says who?” Dorea mumbled, as she woke up. “The Ministry? According to the Ministry, I'm 'Harry Potter' and have been living in luxury since the defeat of He-who-shall-not-be-named. They were wrong on both of those so-called facts. If the adults didn't insist that I needed to transform back to human every now and then, for medical reasons, I'd never change back.”

===//===

**Ministry of Magic**

Spinney despondently slumped against the wall. He looked at the reports in his hand. _What was the point of getting me to collect information, if they didn't want to read it?_ The wizard looked up at the sound of laughter, and was almost floored.

Coming out of the DMLE Office were two of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. On the left was a a tall, curvy, redhead in a very expensive-looking, bright blue, silk dress. The platinum-blonde on her right was taller, but not quite as curvy, and wearing a black dress so dark, it seemed to absorb the light around it. The blonde was shaking her head in amusement. “You should have just hit the bastard centre-mass, and used my Library to find out why he did it. Now he's gotten off on a technicality.”

“Bribed the judges, you mean,” replied the redhead. “They're too busy with their own short-term agendas, and harming the long-term viability of their society as a result.” She shook her head. “Look at how they're treating squibs and squib-borns. Another 'Hogwarts reject' was dumped in an orphanage a few days ago, all because her magic is Druidic. Her 'parents' thought her rejection was because she was a squib! It's no wonder their educational standards have steadily declined over the last few decades...”

“Is that why you made that distance education school open to everyone?” Spinney interrupted, almost dropping his reports in his excitement. He almost didn't recognise the redhead out of the beige-and-black ICEP uniform. _I can't believe my luck,_ he thought. _The Director of ICEP herself!_

The blonde raised an eyebrow. “And you are?”

_//Yuri, you already know who he is. You know who **everybody** is._

_//I know that, Mizuchi, but we still need to keep up appearances._

“Oh sorry,” Spinney apologised and held out his hand. “Augustus Spinney I work for the Ministry. ...although... to be honest, I have no idea if this report they won't read means I'm with the department of statistics, or the department of education. Either way they don't take me seriously.”

“Yuri Karitoriki,” replied the blonde.

“Mizuchi Kobayashi,” stated the redhead.

“The Ministry is in negotiations to reinstate the Tri-Wizard Tournament in a few years,” Spinney continued. “Because of this, I was asked to compile a report on how our 'rivals' will compare to us.”

“Ah,” Mizuchi seemed to understand. “You've either found out ICEP have been cooperating with the other schools, providing annexe courses for subjects they don't currently have teachers for, or that the 'filtering' of who gets Hogwarts' letters has resulted in a downturn of quality graduates.”

“Let's just say that if the top three schools in Europe are the only schools competing, Hogwarts isn't even the top school in Britain,” Spinney commented.

“Then the solution is simple,” Yuri commented. “Send a 'leaked' document to the newspaper. Attach a letter, angled towards the old Pure-blood families' own self interests.”

“After all, even if the half-bloods and squib-borns are 'inferior' to them, someone has to run the shops, and do the paperwork.” Mizuchi added.

===//===

**Somewhere near Ottery St Catchpole**

“Fred! George! I know you're in the tree!” whined Ginny. “Mummy wants you home!”

She stomped her foot. **“Now!”**

“Fred, are you sure you don't have a Banshee in your family tree?” Kuroko asked, as she looked through the cloaking-field she'd placed on the web, just below their hammocks.

“If we do, Mum hasn't mentioned it,” replied George, as he snuggled up to his girlfriend.

“At least we have most of this equipment in the lab,” Charlotte handed the booklist back to her boyfriend. “There's no point in you paying for stuff we already have.”

“It's just a shame we can't take you with us,” said Fred.

**"DAMMIT FRED! GEORGE!"**

“At least you two got into a good boarding school too, even if it isn't a magical one,” said Fred.

“Even if it is in America,” whispered George.

“It isn't too far from the Salem Witches Institute,” Kuroko commented. “They're one of ICEP's recognised testing centres, so we should still be able to keep up with our magical studies.”

“We can always visit each other during school holidays,” said Charlotte. She looked though the cloaking-field. “Ginevra is looking awfully pissed. We'd better stop ignoring her.” The girls quietly lowered the boys behind their sister.

“Ginnikins”  
“if you”  
“screw your”  
“face up”  
“further”  
“you'll get”  
“wrinkles.” echoed Fred and George.

Ginny jumped in fright. “Mummy doesn't want you near those spiders!”

“Why”  
“not?” asked Kuroko and Charlotte.

“M-mummy says you're dark creatures, and h-have bewitched my brothers,” defiance trying to overcome the fear in Ginny's voice.

“Us? Dark?”  
“Fred, George?”  
“Did we”  
“bewitch you?” asked the girls.

“We thought our”  
“roguishly”  
“good looks”  
“bewitched you.” replied the boys.  
“Come, little sister,”  
“before mother”  
“loses all”  
“of her hair'  
“in worry.”


	34. Chapter 34

Outside Interference

Chapter 33

**Avalon Gardens**

Dumbledore looked up from his device. He had tracked young Potter to the general area of the Library, even with the needle erratically pointing between Surrey, and into the sky. At the moment, the signal was dead, but he could see children, both human and non-human playing some sort of game with a black and white ball. Amongst them was the distinctive green and red hair of Violet. He frowned slightly, as he spotted the red and pink hair of her 'shadow' Dorea.

“Hello, Professor Dumbledore. What brings you to Surrey?” greeted the familiar voice of Pandora Lovegood.

“Just following up on a rumour,” deflected Dumbledore.

Pandora leaned in and whispered. “The magical library, secretly hidden in this building? The ICEP people gave me a key weeks ago.” She looked towards the sound of approaching footsteps, then looked down. “Luna darling, Mr Hayes and Selene are here.”

Dumbledore watched as Luna's face lit up. He looked towards the approaching people. He saw a young man of Greek descent holding hands with a young girl, about the same age as Luna. She had golden-blonde hair, decorated with pink flowers. She was wearing a pink dress that looked like it was made of giant flower petals.

“Luna! Selene!” called a girl's voice from near the library. Dumbledore tried to hide his distaste at the sight of the young dryad. They may be 'Light' magical creatures, but she was still a magical creature.

“Venus!” chorused Luna and Selene, as the three of them ran together into a group hug.

“It's good to see Luna getting along with more people her age,” Pandora commented. “Ginevra Weasley and her used to get on so well, but Ginevra has been avoiding her lately.”

“She's the little redhead that lives near Ottery St Catchpole, right?” asked Hayes. He shook his head and tsked. “Just because Luna is a little different.”

“It's just another reason I'll be enrolling Luna in classes with ICEP, when she's older,” Pandora commented. “It's not like she'll be getting into Hogwarts with those restrictions.”

“Pandora, my dear,” warned Dumbledore, drawing his wand. “The Statute...”

“That doesn't apply to me,” interrupted Hayes. “I'm a squib, and Selene is an Aralune, just like her mother. We're supposed to know about magic.”

_An Aralune?_ Dumbledore thought. _What's an Aralune?_

“From that confused look, I'm assuming you haven't read The Quibbler,” Hayes commented. “They've been publishing articles for ICEP and the ICW for at least two years.”

“The 'getting to know your fellow sentient' articles?” Pandora joined in. “Xeno was so proud to be chosen to publish those. I didn't even know about the existence of Owl Harpies until I met Dorea's friend. It just goes to show that no matter how old you are, you are never too old to learn new things. An Aralune is to flowers what a Dryad is to trees.”

“WATCH OUT!” called a voice from the direction of the sports ground.

Dumbledore startled, as a circle of glowing, pink runes appeared in his field of view, and a figure came spinning out of the portal at its centre, kicking the black and white ball back towards the field. “BALL STILL IN PLAY!”

“Violet...”

“Yes, Mrs Lovegood?”

“What have you been told about opening Gates this close to people?”

“Not to do it until I have more experience with pinpoint drills.” Violet spread her wings, and flew back towards the others.

_That's not a Glamour!_ Dumbledore realised, as he spotted the rest of the airborne flyers. _Where was Harry/Violet Potter being hidden? I'm going to have to adjust the restrictions on the Admissions Book._

===//===

Sergeant Benton was in the motor-pool area of Cassiopeia Station, looking for Warrant Officer O'Reilly, when he was startled by something brushing past his ankle. He looked down to see a serpentine tail, holding a spanner, disappear under the Jeep he was standing next to. “What the-”

“Bugger!” muttered a young girl's voice from under the vehicle. “It's five sixteenths, not one quarter. I shouldn't have joined last night's hunt. I'm too tired for this crap.” The tail came back out, and dropped the spanner back into the toolbox near the front wheel.

“What are you doing down there, Sally?” Benton asked.

“Fixing a loose gearbox casing,” replied the young lamia, as she extracted herself. “If you're looking for Uncle Seamus, he's showing Juniper how to maintain the Chinook. We converted the old stables into a hangar last week.”

“And he's leaving a ten-year-old girl, by herself, to work on a vehicle?” Benton was surprised.

“It's not on a jack, the handbrake is on, and the wheels are chocked,” Sally dismissively replied. “Besides, Okaasan is nearby, even if she is playing kissy-face with Mum.” She looked at her wristwatch. “I'd better get ready. Aunt Cissa is taking some of us shopping in about forty five minutes. Lyra needs new clothes.”

===//===

**Diagon Alley**

Theo sat at the table out front of the cafe, along with Daphne and the rest of his circle of friends and acquaintances.. Whatever tensions had occurred with Draco's family seemed to have eased back from 'social pariah' to 'can meet in public' and that meant he could finally reconnect with his best friend, for the first time in months.

“What in Merlin's name...” Pansy trailed off, looking towards the Cauldron's archway, causing the rest of the group to look over.

Theo immediately recognised Draco and his mother due to their distinctive hair colour, but they were also accompanied by a red-haired girl in a dark green dress, a blonde boy in what Blaise said was jeans and a bomber jacket, and a blonde girl in a blue dress. The redhead was slightly taller than Draco, and had a slightly exaggerated sway to her hips, as they walked towards the cafe. It took him a moment to realise many of the passing witches and wizards were staring at the three of them.

“Look at that red hair! Is he friends with a Weasley?” Pansy asked.

“Definitely not,” replied Blaise. “Her clothes are too new.”

“Why is that girl swinging her hips so much when she walks?” Pansy asked. “She's going to give everyone the wrong sort of impression.”

Blaise tried to hold in an involuntary scoff.

_What does he know?_ Theo thought.

Then he noticed.

Now that the group was a lot closer, he could see why the girl's hips swung so much. “Blaise! You knew already?!”

Theo had heard the rumours that the Founder's eldest child had gone into hiding, overseas, many centuries ago, during the time of the witch-hunts. Apparently, the family had returned around ten years ago, and that the current Heir was a Lamia. “Well done Draco,” he said quietly. “You've got yourself the beginnings of an excellent set of contacts.” Most Pure-blood families are introduced to politics from an early age, and Theo saw this as being a good way for Draco to mitigate some of the damage to his social-standing, even if she was a half-breed.

Blaise tried not to laugh. “Of course I knew,” he replied. “When Mother found out that the Hogwarts admissions procedures had been tightened, she decided to investigate. There is going to be a scandal this year, when they realise just who won't be getting letters.” He stood up, and stepped over to the just-arrived group, and gave a theatrical bow. “Good afternoon, Miss Black, Draco, and you must be the lovely Miss Slytherin.” He looked at the other blondes in the group. “I'm not sure I know either of you.”

“Leo O'Reilly,” replied the boy, holding his hand out in greeting. “Sally is my older sister.”

“Lyra ...Black,” stated the blonde girl. “I was recently adopted by Miss Black.”

“I'll leave you to get reacquainted, Draco. Lyra and I will be in Madam Malkins for an hour, maybe two,” Narcissa took her leave.

“You must be Blaise,” commented Miss Slytherin. “Please call me Sally. Draco has told me a lot about you.” She looked him in the eye. “He says you're almost as good with the ladies as Leo.” She glanced towards where Leo was kissing Daphne's hand in greeting.

“Blaise,” hissed Pansy. “She's a half-breed.” Sally narrowed her eyes.

“A Lamia, actually,” replied Blaise. “Mother speaks quite highly of the tribe that lives near her old childhood home. They taught her everything she knows about ...potions.”

Theo and Daphne gave each other knowing looks. 

...Dot. Dot. Dot. 'Potions'...

Daphne then turned towards Sally. “I like your glasses. They're such a pretty shade of yellow.”

Sally blushed with embarrassment, the change in skin colour highlighting the tiny green scales, where freckles would normally be, if she were human.

In a quiet voice Leo replied “Mama makes her wear them. They're enchanted, so she doesn't accidentally petrify someone.”

Daphne blanched at the comment. “P-petrify?”

“The Ministry probably forced that restriction on her and her mother,” stated an unusually insightful Vincent.

“The Ministry wishes,” scoffed Leo. “It was our mothers' decision.” He pulled Sally into a half-hug. “Our family are pretty high up in ICEP, and it wouldn't look good for their integration program, if the daughter of one of their SRTs was involved in an incident.”

“What's an ess-art-tea?” Greg asked.

“It's sort of like an Auror,” Blaise explained, as everyone took seats back at the table. “Some of them have specialist training.” He turned to Sally. “Your mother is a front-line Healer, right?”

“That's right,” replied Sally. “Okaasan said there are quite a few people who are only alive today because of Mama.”

“Okaasan?” Daphne asked. “Isn't that Japanese for mother?” Part of being in a family with international trade-ties meant she had to learn multiple languages.

“Dad is Heir to several Lordships,” Sally commented.

“Ohh,” chorused the rest of the table. They all understood immediately. Sometimes a Lord had to take on Consorts to ensure the continuation of some family lines.

They started making small-talk, although it was a bit forced for the 'properly' raised children. Blaise had all the makings of a natural ladies-man. Even at nine years old, and just let the conversation flow. He and Draco were able to steer the others through topics the group, as a whole, could relate to. The others having little to no experience with the muggle world did limit what they could talk about. Their conversation eventually made its way around to Hogwarts.

“This year will be interesting,” commented Daphne. “The letters should have gone out today. How is the Ministry going to explain away you being denied a place at Hogwarts, especially with all the fuss Father said they'd made when your mother declined due to still nursing you at the time?”

“I don't care one way or another,” Sally replied. “My spell range is too limited for your school system. Aunt Mizuchi says I'm purely a White Mage. Besides, I'm poikilothermic. The winters up there would probably kill me.”

“A White Mage?” asked Pansy. “What's that?”

“It means she can only cast spells of Healing, Purification, or Protection,”Leo replied.

“Mama is a little bit disappointed I want to be a mechanic, instead of a Healer,” Sally commented. “She and Aunt Fern are still going to teach me anyway.”

“So you can only defend yourself with shields?” Greg commented. “That's Hippogriff shite. At least you have your eyes.”

Draco snorted. The others looked at him in a mixture of askance and disgust. “Cousin Fern can punch holes in steel-plate with her Lumos spell.”

Sally laughed. “It's good for cutting and welding steel plates. I don't need welding goggles for it, either.”

“Aunt Mizuchi gave me a practical demonstration on, and I quote, 'what can go wrong, if you use the wrong spell on a person, or aren't in the right frame of mind, when treating someone.'” Sally commented. “She then got one of Mama's nearly expired transfusion packs, and used a Water Purification spell on it.”

“What's that?” asked Daphne.

“It removes contaminants and toxins from water,” replied Sally.

“No, the other thing. The fuse thingy,” Daphne clarified.

“Oh, that. It's a blood pack, for when someone is seriously injured,” replied Leo. “Regular humans can't use blood replenishment potions.”

“Does that mean a Healer can turn someone's blood to.... Merlin!” Daphne exclaimed. “I'm so glad none of the Death Eaters never found that one out.”

Theo had gone green. “And I thought father's Blood Boiling curse was bad.”


	35. Chapter 35

Outside Interference

Chapter 34

**BOSTON, several weeks earlier**

Gunnery Sergeant Irvine 'Gunny' Pierce (retired) spotted a familiar mop of red hair, as he saw the door of the veterans' bar open. “Spanners! Over here!” he called out.

“Gunny, Eltee, Jimbo,” greeted Patrick 'Spanners' O'Reilly, as he joined his old war-buddies at their table.

“So, Spanners...” began Charles 'Eltee' Green. “Long time no see. Still chasing myths and legends, or has ICEP put you out of a job?”

Spanners laughed. “If anything, I'm busier. My wife and I are in charge of the Canadian division of ICEP.” He chuckled a little. “We're actually doing the same thing as we've been doing since I retired from the army. The only differences are we now have have to file paperwork, but can get government back-up if someone causes trouble.”

James 'Jimbo' Smith had a sly look on his face. “I heard a rumour that the reason you spend so much time in the middle of nowhere, Canada, is because Val is a Snow-queen, and needs to be in a” **ahem**”cold environment.”

“What of it?” Gunny commented. “Spanners found himself a good woman. It doesn't matter that she's a demi-human. Both of you met her back in '41, and didn't have a problem with her.”

“Val's a Snow-queen?” Eltee looked slightly confused. “I didn't realise. All of the ones I work with up in Alaska have either white or pale blue hair. Is she part Jotun? A lot of them have red hair.”

“No,” replied Spanners. “She's not part Jotun. You are right that her ancestry includes another race.”

“Enough of that sort of talk,” said Gunny. “It's been ten years since the five of us have been in the one place.”

“Five?” asked Jimbo. “...shit...”

“I missed you too,” whispered a feminine voice by Jimbo's ear.

“H-hello J-je ...Shadow,” Jimbo nervously greeted.

“Holy Fuck!” yelled a random voice from the pub. “Is that a Dullahan!?”

Jeannie 'Shadow' McMillan placed her head back onto her shoulders, and laughed. “It's good to know I can still make all of you guys, except Pat, freak out over that trick.”

Gunny looked back towards Spanners. “That's because you two have been thick as thieves since you were both kids. Jeannie, Pat has always seen you as a beautiful woman. I still don't know why he never proposed to you.”

Shadow chuckled at that comment. “You never told them?”

“Told us wh- Oh, fuck me sideways!” said Gunny. “You and Jeannie?!” His voice lowered to a whisper. “Does Val know?”

“Yep!” smirked Shadow. “The three of us regularly get together. It's amazing what you can get up to with a detachable head.”

“Spanners, you lucky son of a bitch,” Jimbo commented. “I'd never have the balls to try that with Marie.”

The five of them raised their glasses. “To our wives and girlfriends.”

“May they never meet,” added Eltee, getting laughs and 'hear, hear' from nearby patrons.

“So what brings you to our fine city?” asked Gunny.

“We were scouting accommodation options,” replied Spanners. “Three of my great granddaughters picked up scholarships at MIT.”

The other three guys spat their drinks out and/or started choking.

“Great granddaughters?” spluttered Gunny. “I didn't even know you had kids!”

“It's complicated,” replied Spanners. “Remember the artefact we found in '43?”

“Where we ended up on that parallel Earth?” whispered Eltee. “Don't remind me. ...wait... they came from a different parallel Earth?”

“One where Val died during childbirth in '41,” Spanners sadly confirmed. “Two of my grandchildren from that Earth settled their families over here. There was also some time travel involved, hence great grandchildren.”

“Why are you even looking for accommodation?” asked Gunny. “I don't know if I should feel insulted that you didn't come straight to me.”

“We didn't think you'd appreciate me imposing after ten years of no real contact,” replied Spanners. “Also, the three girls have specialised needs.”

“So, they need cold temperatures most of the time,” replied Gunny. “That's not a problem.”

“The girls aren't Yukionna,” said Shadow.

“Yukionna?” asked Jimbo.

“Snow-queens,” clarified Eltee. “Different countries have different names for similar races. So what race are your great grandchildren?”

“Hiroshi's eldest three are Arachne.”

“Weaver, Jumping, Strider, or Hunter?” asked Gunny. “Remember Daggers, from Fourth Cavalry? She adopted twin Jumping Arachne, after finding their dead mother on a recon mission. . Trixie and Sandy are only twelve, but they get into just as much trouble as regular human kids. Our neighbourhood has several extra-species kids, mostly adopted.”

“Cass, Charlotte, and Kuroko turn eleven at the end of October,” replied Spanners. “They're Weavers.”

“Eleven?” Eltee was impressed. “They picked up MIT scholarships at eleven?”

The door opened again, and several cat-calls and wolf-whistles distracted Jimbo. “Good gods! Look at the rack on that. I may be pushing seventy, but I'd still tap that. ... Spanners?... what's with the scowl?”

“There you are Grandpa Pat, Aunt Jeannie!” called the woman, as she turned to face them. She briefly turned back to the bartender. “Robbie, two pitchers of Romanov Special, please.”

“Romanov Special? Coming right up,” replied the bartender. “How many glasses?”

“None,” she replied, as she sculled the first pitcher right at the bar, causing several hardened drinkers to flinch. “[translation unavailable] save me from bean counters.”

“Mizuchi!” called Shadow. “Don't use alien languages in front of the Grunts!”

Mizuchi stuck out her tongue. “I love you too, Aunt Jeannie.” She took a 'normal' drink from her pitcher. “Ilvermorny recently changed out their Board of Governors. The racist morons have decided to 'restrict their intake' of students with extra-species ancestry.” She took another drink. “The condescending [translation unavailable] heading the Board even had the nerve to tell me they wouldn't negotiate policy with a 'low level servant barely out of her teens'”

Spanners spat his drink out. “Please tell me you didn't do anything stupid.”

“They're receiving a letter tomorrow morning explaining how they just lost their ICEP accreditation, for breach of contract,” replied Mizuchi. “All of the families currently doing annexe courses are receiving phone calls and/or Owl-mail in ...three ...two ...one, notifying them they'll have to go through Salem Witch's Institute from now on. Ambrose, put that wand away. Every person currently in this bar is exempt from the Statute of Secrecy, and I'm immune to memory alteration.”

“Ambrose, you idiot,” commented one of the other patrons. “Stop pointing your wand at the dragon. She has just as much right to get drunk with friends and relatives as the rest of us.”

Eltee's eyes widened. “Spanners? Is your granddaughter who I think she is?” His voice dropped to a whisper. “I thought nepotism happened the other way around.”

===//===

**British Ministry of Magic** (back to the current time)

“This is an absolute outrage!” stated one of the 'neutral' Lords. “Not only have there been a string of disownments over 'misunderstandings' about their family magic, but I have also heard that Heiress Slytherin did not receive a Hogwarts Letter, either.”

“I assure you the matters are being looked into,” Dumbledore placated. “The restrictions to keep dark creatures from being enrolled in the school, and thereby endangering the students, are obviously too thorough. As for 'Heiress' Slytherin she's obviously a dangerous half-breed-”

“Whose mother is a respected Healer to magical and muggle alike,” interjected another Lord. “I have seen the young Heiress in Diagon Alley many times, and she is the kindest, most helpful child I know.”

“But she has a poisonous bite and can petrify someone with her eyes,” Dumbledore objected.

“Why would she need to use her venomous bite on someone, unless she's being attacked?” asked the first Lord. “As for her eyes, she wears special glasses to protect people from them, as does her mother.” He looked pointedly towards the 'dark' side of the hall. “How long before someone decides your children or grandchildren are 'a danger to the students' and you find they don't get their Hogwarts letter. How many has it already happened to? Most of you want Muggleborns banned from Hogwarts.” He held up a thick folder. “The children these pieces of parchment refer to are from squib branches of prominent families, such as the Founders, whose magic has reawakened in their lines after centuries of being dormant, or from foundlings dropped off at orphanages. They might not be getting into Hogwarts when they turn eleven.”

There were several gasps from the 'light' side of the hall.

“The current stance of the Ministry is to assume they're all Muggleborn. One of the contacts who gave me these files cited that, if ICEP,” there were several 'harrumphs' in the seats, “yes, the organisation that now looks after the well-being of the magical races, have a financial arrangement with the goblins to perform inheritance tests on families who think they may have had 'mysterious ancestry' or what many of the Ancient Houses call 'creature inheritances'. One of the documents in my file confirms that when the Dagworth-Granger family fled Grindelwald's forces his grandson, Daniel, ended up in an orphanage near Sheffield. He didn't even know about magic, until his daughter, Hermione, used accidental magic to summon a book to herself. By the way,” he looked pointedly at the head of the Under-age Magic department. “It has been several weeks, and no one has gone to investigate why the Ministry cannot detect magic use in or around Sheffield.”

“And here's something else to ponder,” commented the second Lord. “What if the missing Potter child's magic signature has been damaged or altered, either by those badly-applied Blood Wards that nearly got them killed, or by whatever treatment they had to receive to save their life. What if the restrictions that stopped Miss Tonks from going to Hogwarts, because the Black's Metamorphmagus ability registered as an anomaly affects young Potter? James Potter's Grandmother, Dorea, was a Black. What about the Potter Line's natural Animagus ability? There was an uproar ten years ago, when Heir Sturmdrachen and his family refused to attend Hogwarts, admittedly for valid reasons. Then there was that controversy when you forced Heir Sturmdrachen's sister to leave the school, because she was openly proud of being a magical creature, further compounded by her refusal to form a marriage contract with any male suitors, claiming she was already magically-bound to ...Blaidd-Ddwrg Dwllphrn... Merlin, I hope I pronounced that right. Ten years later, and we're back to arguing over the Founders' legacies, and the prestige of at least one of their descendants attending our school. Again. Face it. At least two of the Founders had children with magical creatures. Get past it, or watch as another school claims them as students. I have it on good authority that Heiress Slytherin is apprenticed to the Royal Engineering Academy, and Lord Sturmdrachen's three eldest children attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.”

The uproar and debate at four powerful witches, even if they were 'merely' half-breeds, 'wasting their talents' at Muggle educational facilities lasted for over two hours.

===//===

_Damn and Blast!_ Dumbledore thought. _I'm going to have to remove the restrictions from the Book of Names. This will delay my plans to remove whoever the Sorting Hat placed in Slytherin, and their children. All because of a set of convincing rec..._ “Records!” he exclaimed. _There has to be a record of the Potter child's real name somewhere. Once I find that, I can find out if he/she was magically adopted, or if he/she is only under the protection of a magical guardian._

(Many weeks later)

“How many back-up plans did Lily Evans make?!” Dumbledore screamed from his private quarters. There was a list of guardians for if the 'Harry' glamour was still active, and another for if it was broken early, most of which were under some Fidelius for written words, and he was only able to narrow down who the secret-keeper was to one of two people ('people' being a loose term, in his opinion). It was either Mizuchi Kobayashi/O'Reilly, or Yuri Karitoriki/Peverell.

_Molly hasn't spotted a 'mini James' around that dragon or her family, and the only 'mini Lily' she's seen is very definitely a dragon._ “I've never actually seen a feathered Dragon before,” he muttered to himself. _I'll have to stake people around the approximate location of Peverell Manor. Those random signals pointing to the Avalon Gardens' Library must be the child Flooing outside of the Manor's Fidelius, as she enters the Library's wards_

===//===

(Six fruitless months later)

“Face it, Albus,” said Moody. “There are only two ways any of us are going to have even a chance of the child showing up. Place their name in the Goblet of Fire in four years, if we can get the bloody Tri-Wizard Tournament approved, or remove the Damned restrictions you placed on the Book of Names.”

“At least removing the restrictions will see a chance of the Owls delivering in July 1991,” commented Diggle. “We can always use the Goblet as a failsafe.”


	36. Chapter 36

Outside interference  
Chapter 35

**GRINGOTTS, Ragnok’s ‘Office’**

“Director Ragnok,” greeted Axebiter, relief showing on his face. “I know you said you’d be uncontactable during your lunchtime meeting with Empress Ragnarök, but …well… you were uncontactable.” Axebiter then noted his boss hanging a pair of mining axes above the office fireplace. “When did you get those?”

Ragnok turned to face his Head of Security. Axebiter saw a new scar adorning his face, crossing his left eye. _Strange,_ Axebiter thought. _The scar is new, but it looks like it is over a week old._ “When did you get that scar?”

Ragnok chuckled. “Becoming Mizuchi’s friend came with a wonderful benefit. I have just returned from a month-long hunting trip. My wife and I had some much-needed relaxation time and, true to her word, Mizuchi brought me back before my lunch break was over. We even have some wonderful memories of Fellblade taking down a Tyrannosaur by herself. I now understand why Muggles keep photo albums and take home-videos.” A feral grin broke out on his face. “I even managed to get some business done! I have brokered a deal for our coinsmiths. By year’s end we will have a new coin. We’ll need to plan a suitable name for it.”

“I thought we weren’t going to make platinum coins,” Axebiter commented.

“We’re not,” Ragnok replied. “The coins will be Neutronium-plated Iridium alloy.”

Axebiter couldn’t hide his disgust at the P-word.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Ragnok commented. “The wand-wavers would never suspect. Also, with the materials being sourced …off-world,” the term was still difficult to articulate in Gobbledygook, “it will mean less enchantments will be needed to stop someone replicating the coins.”

===//===

**L-Space Node 38+blit 9f2r6 18-blit 14n**

Tomas looked fearfully at the rapidly-darkening sky, as he ran back towards the remains of his old village. He arrived, out of breath, to see a beautiful red-haired woman in a purple dress standing, with her hands on her hips, in front of what used to be his Grandpa’s library. 

_My gods!_ Tomas thought. _I thought ‘swearing up a storm’ was just a figure of speech!_

There were even snowflakes forming around her, as she ranted in some foreign language. Tomas had only seen snow in his Grandpa’s books. 

“What in the name of Quetzalcoatl happened here?” she asked in his native language. Tomas assumed Quetzalcoatl was a god or goddess from her country. 

“About a month ago, Dad and the others were clearing out the old ruins from three towns over, so they could expand our grazing field,” replied Tomas. “I think it might have been a temple. They found all sorts of artefacts and were cataloguing them when-“ the redhead silenced him by raising her hand. A noise like thunder got steadily closer, and a strange shadow passed over them. “What the fuck was that?” 

“Aircraft? This world is only tech level three,” the redhead commented. She tilted her head slightly, as if she heard a noise. “Meso-Egyptian?” 

“It’s them!” hissed Tomas. “Quickly! Hide!” he beckoned her to a half-hidden cellar. “They’ve been rounding up anyone they can find.” 

“Hide if you want,” she replied. Coloured lights surrounded her and , when the lights vanished, she was wearing what looked like beige and black men’s hunting clothing. 

_Are those wings? …and a tail?_ “Dear gods…” 

“Yes,” growled a distorted voice from behind him. “You will bow to your God.” 

The redhead was suddenly standing in front of the ‘owner’ of the distorted voice. He was wearing a lot of gold and had glowing eyes. His gold-armoured bodyguards flinched at the sudden speed. 

“Orokana ningen! Anata wa aete L-Space keiro o hakai shimashita ka?” growled the woman. Frost coalesced around her as she spoke. 

They looked confused and started tapping trinkets near their ears. 

“Hon’yaku debaisu ga kowarete imasu ka?” she smirked. 

“Kill them!” ordered the leader. The bodyguards pointed the ends of their staves at Tomas and the redhead. Balls of hot, fiery, death streaked towards them. 

…and dissipated off a glowing shield of light… 

“Ima wa atashi no bandesu ka?” A halberd materialised in the redhead’s hand. “Kono raiburai wa, shinrin shuuhen no yuitsu no anzen’na keirodeshita.” 

The bodyguards stepped back and dropped their weapons. “T-the message my great great grandfather heard as a child makes sense now.” The bodyguards ran as if their lives depended on it. 

“Cowards!” growled the leader. He sneered at the redhead. He raised his hand.  
… 

(Five hundred years later) 

The guide stopped in front of a set of double doors. “I must warn you, that it is not recommended for any of you with the Seer gene to enter this part of the library’s museum.” 

Inside was a man wearing gold robes. He looked to be constantly raising his right hand. 

“What the…” muttered three of the group of four. 

“It was said that five hundred years ago, one of the old Gods returned to reassert his dominion on our people,” commented the guide, “but in his arrogance he destroyed a magical library and unleashed a dragon onto the village that used to stand here. The God’s followers left him as a sacrifice to cover their escape, and the dragon left the God frozen in time, because dragon. Who knows what dragons think? However, the dragon did leave a warning.” The guide gestured towards a crystalline pillar. It was surrounded by a layer of very fine frost. “Unfortunately, we have no idea what languages are written on each facing.” 

The man with the glasses had a look of sheer disbelief on his face. “Jack…” 

“Yes Daniel?” 

“This facing is written …carved?... in Japanese.” 

===//=== 

**AVALON GARDENS SPORTSGROUNDS, sometime in June**

Venus sat in her construct, in chair-mode, and watched as a mini-horde of children disembarked from several cars and a minivan. Most of the faces she automatically recognised, but there looked to be a new family amongst them. Her mother absently stroked the hair/vines on her head to help reassure her there was still someone ‘safe’ close by. 

New people were always an unknown quantity. Venus had gotten over her shyness since becoming friends with Luna and Selene, but she still wasn’t good with crowds, and tended to stick close to her Mum, Mother, Dad, or Aunt Shizu. 

There are still rumours of a Mimic in Diagon. As long as no one figures out the ‘Mimic’ is really a Dryad having a panic attack, Venus hoped those rumours continued. 

She waved in greeting to Mr and Mrs Lake, as they walked up from the van with the usual big box, she knew was full of cupcakes. Mrs Lake’s mother loved baking. 

“Gordon!” Mr Lake called out, getting the attention of one of the new people. “Over this way!” ‘Gordon’ and his, presumably, wife changed course while most of the accompanying children followed the rest into the sportsgrounds. 

“Gordon and Rose have just moved their family here, from Cardiff,” introduced Mr Lake, “Gordon and Rose Rowan this is Fern and her youngest daughter, Venus.” 

“That’s a weird wheelchair,” said a voice from below waist-height. “Why’s it got legs where the wheels should be?” 

Venus gave her construct a mental-command to tilt forward, while pretending to tap ‘buttons’ on one of her armrests. Humans can be ‘funny’ about magic, or apparent magic, but go ‘ooh shiny’ over new tech, or apparent tech. “It has legs, so it can climb stairs,” Venus replied to the three- or four-year-old in front of her. 

The child giggled. “You have leaves in your hair.” A look of intense concentration came on their face. “Why do you and your Mummy have wooden boots? Are you Dutch?”  
There was a gasp from one of the adults, and laughter from the rest. 

“Daisy, dear. Fern and Venus are Dryads,” Mrs Rowan quietly explained. “Like from your book about fairies.” 

“So,” Mr Rowan interrupted. “Are we going to stand around talking, or are we going to watch our kids play football?” 

They walked into the sportsgrounds. There were already several games happening. 

…and a big argument where the ten-year-old kids were… 

“Why are those **_GIRLS_ ** the team captains?” whined one of the newcomers. 

“Because they’re the best players we have,” replied Dudley. 

“Also, because having Fellblade and Violet both on the same team would make it unfair,” Dorea commented. “You two weren’t here the day we had to fill in the craters.” 

“Craters?” whispered Mr Rowan. 

“There is a rule of no more than two flyers per team for a reason,” Venus’ mother whispered back. “Violet and Fellblade get ‘overenthusiastic’ when they team-up, and sometimes forget that humans are squishy.” 

There were some chuckles behind them. It was Venus’ Mum. “I see the usual pre-game ‘air support negotiations’ have yet to start.” She embraced Venus’ mother from behind and nuzzled her neck. Venus was used to her parents being affectionate, but the Rowans were going red in the face. 

“Mr and Mrs Rowan, this is my other Mum, Mizuchi,” Venus commented. “She’s the Director of ICEP and has to go to lots of boring meetings.” She then turned back to her parents. 

“Mother, Mum, you’re embarrassing the normies.” 

“What the hell are those two women doing!” yelled one of the newcomers’ children. 

“Ianto! Watch your mouth!” Mrs Rowan called out. Then looked slightly confused, as only her children seemed shocked. The rest of the kids were still choosing teams. 

“You have two Mummies?” Daisy asked Venus. Her face then took on the look most little children took on when they think they’re sharing a big secret. “Benny, at kindergarten, has two Daddies. But one dresses up like a Mummy.” 

Venus tilted her ‘chair’ to be closer to the girl. “I actually have three Mummies and a Daddy. I don’t know what the Pixies count as.” She glanced towards the sound of a new argument forming. She frowned. “Mum? Why are they calling you and mother land-reclamation dams?” 

Mrs Rowan also frowned. “Where did Sean even learn that word in the first place? IANTO!! SEAN!! GET OVER HERE, RIGHT NOW!!” 


End file.
